Throughout Time Yr 6 The Price of Responsibility
by SashaBT245
Summary: {COMPLETE}The sequel to New Beginnings, read that one first, or you'll be lost!...Summer holidays in France lead to a disastrous end...and changes that are more than Noelle can bear.
1. Chapter 1 Summer in Cannes

Noelle stretched out on the warm sand. Every day the argument she had with her parents haunted her.

"Noelle! What was the meaning of that!" her father had fumed.

"He's a friend, Papa, he's just a friend."

"He seemed a lot friendlier than he should be!"

The argument had continued until after they arrived back in Paris. In Cannes, it was no different. Finally she had managed to assure her father that there was nothing going on between herself and Sirius, even though her heart shattered every time she denied him.

Now, here it was, late June. She picked up the latest letter from Lily. Lily was bored to death in Yorkshire. Noelle was bored in Cannes. Quickly she made the connection. She jumped to her feet and hurried back to the main house.

"Maman!" she called through the vast hallways. "Maman!"

Her mother came around the corner of the parlor. "What is it, Noelle?"

Noelle took a deep breath and asked, "May I invite Lily to come to Cannes? Just for a few weeks?"

Noelle's big blue eyes silently pleaded with her mother. She could see her mother thinking hard.

"Just Lily? Not the boys right?"

Noelle nodded.

Finally her mother responded. "Very well. She can come."

Noelle squealed, and flung her arms around her mother.

Noelle headed for her rooms, whistling sharply for Etoile. As she walked briskly up the stairs to the breezeway that led to her rooms her heels clicked in rhythm with her heart. Etoile was perched on the back of her desk chair, waiting for her. She stroked the owl's feathers idly as she searched for a quill and some parchment. Quickly she scribbled a message to Lily. Fastening it securely to the leg of her owl, she then opened the door leading outside. With a soft hoot, Etoile spread his wide wings and soared off toward England.

Noelle watched him until he was a tiny speck in the sky. Turning back into her room, she brushed her hair off her face. Her room in Cannes was near perfect. It was at the top of the house, so she was completely isolated from her parents. Over her bed was a large sliding panel that covered a single piece of glass. This was she could stargaze all night long if she wanted. The bed itself was large and oval shape. The entire room was done in shades of blues and white. There were lots of windows to let the sunlight in and all the furniture was mad of pale bleached wood. There were bookshelves lining one long wall with her favorite stories. Noelle sighed happily as she took in her surroundings. She flung herself on her bed and stretched luxuriously. . The cool linen sheets felt silky against her warm skin. A nap would feel great right now, she thought. Rolling over, she dozed off.

She awoke a few hours later to find that night had fallen, and Etoile had returned. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she pulled the letter from the owl's beak. 

_  
  
Dear Noelle, _

_  
I'm so excited! Mom and Dad said I could come, but I have to fly on a Muggle airplane. They don't trust the Floo Network to get me there safely. I can come next Monday, if that's all right with you. Could you pick me up at the airport in Cannes? Owl me back with your answer ASAP. Can't wait to see you! _

_  
Love, Lily_

Noelle thought hard, and got up to walk to her parents rooms. Outside the door, she heard their voices raised in an argument. She paused, knowing she shouldn't be listening.

"Noelle is too weak to have visitors!" her father yelled.

"You cannot close her off to everything, François! She needs to live, every minute she can!" Catherine Lemieux pleaded with her husband.

"She will live longer if she is careful, and if we are careful with her! Too much excitement will harm her!" her father thundered.

"What does it matter? A few more years? Why should she want to live longer if she has nothing to live for?" her mother sounded tearful.

Her father was silent. Then he spoke, and his voice trembled. "I just want what's best for her." She could hear the tears in his voice. "I am terrified of losing her."

By now, Noelle too was in tears. Rarely had she heard her parents speak so openly of her declining health. She didn't hear anything else from inside the room. The door opened and her mother stepped out. She quickly wiped the tears from her face and pasted on a fake smile, pretending she hadn't heard anything.

"Maman, Lily has responded. She says she can come, but she has to take a Muggle airplane. Can we pick her up at the airport?"

Catherine reached out a hand and smoothed her daughter's hair away from her face. She nodded. "We can do that, cherie. When is she coming?"

"Next Monday."

"Bon, we will meet her."

Noelle hugged her mother tightly. Her father peeked around the door, and she wrapped him in a hug as well. Glancing at his daughter's face, François knew she had heard everything.

"Don't worry about me Papa. I'm as safe as houses."

He smiled at her British slang. "I just worry you are not taking good care of yourself at Hogwarts."

Noelle placed her hand over her heart. "I am Papa, I promise. I have very good friends there. But promise me something."

Her father raised his eyebrows.

"Promise me I can come home for Christmas? Please?" Her navy eyes begged him.

Slowly her father nodded. "I think if I were to tell you no, you would go home anyways." She laughed and hugged her father. "Now get some sleep, Noelle." She nodded and hugged both her parents again. She skipped down the corridors to her rooms. Now all she had to do was wait for Monday.

After what seemed like the longest weekend of her life, Monday finally arrived. Noelle dressed carefully in a Muggle sundress and sandals. She left her long hair down, but added a wide brimmed hat. Her mother was waiting in the front garden. They walked toward the car that the French Ministry provided to take them to the airport. Noelle couldn't contain her excitement. She bounced on her seat like a little girl during the ride through Cannes. At the arrivals gate, she stretched up onto the tips of her toes, peering over heads until she saw the dark red hair of her best friend. The two girls ran to each other, jumping up and down and squealing. When they finally calmed down, Noelle breathlessly turned to her mother,

"Maman, je te presente ma meillieure amie, Lily." (This is my friend Lily.)

Catherine Lemieux hugged Lily tightly. "We have heard so much about you. It is so nice to finally meet you."

They walked down to the luggage carousel to collect Lily's bags. Walking out into the bright sunshine, Lily groaned. "I am going to get so sunburned."

Madame Lemieux laughed softly. "We have plenty of anti-sunburn potions at the house. I have very fair skin and also burn very easily." Lily looked relieved.

The ride back to the palatial Mediterranean villa that the Lemieux's used as a summer home was filled with Lily's questions. Noelle was happy to answer them all. She loved talking about France. Lily gazed out the window and sighed. "Now I see why you love it here so much." 

When they pulled up in front of the house, Lily gasped. The large stone house was several floors and made of white stone that was bleached by the sun. It had a bright blue tile roof and acres of gardens. The emerald green lawn stretched from the spacious patio until it collided with the powder soft sand of a private beach. The aqua sea lapped at the beach gently. To the left of the main house were rolling green field, and a stable was partially hidden from view by large palm trees.

"Do you ride, Lily?" Madame Lemieux questioned.

"I've ridden a few times."

"Well, Noelle is an accomplished equestrian. She will help you if you choose to go riding."

Catherine Lemieux straightened her shoulders as she exited the vehicle. The girls scrambled out behind her. Once inside the large foyer, Lily's jaw dropped again. The foyer was large and made completely of pale pink marble. The furniture was constructed of deep mahogany. There were many paintings hung carefully on the wall, and Lily was sure that they were all Renaissance originals. To the right of the entrance hall was a large comfortable living room. It looked much lived in and Lily was relieved to see newspapers and empty coffee mugs on the coffee table. She quickly followed Noelle up three staircases to her bedroom. Noelle showed her where to put her clothes, and then she turned to Lily.

"What would you like to do first?"

Lily scratched her head, "Beach."

Noelle smiled widely. "Bon. Let's change."

They hurried into their suits and left Noelle's room. Noelle stopped briefly at a small closet in the hallway. She took out a few fluffy towels and a large bottle of anti-sunburn potion. She waved the bottle teasingly at Lily. Lily pulled a face at her friend. They charged down the hallways and burst out of a side door into the bright sunshine. The girls raced each other to the beach. Noelle dropped the towels onto the sand and bent over, trying to catch her breath. She straightened, holding a hand to her side.

Lily spread the towels out and then began to smear potion over her face and shoulders. She glanced over at the petite French girl. Noelle's long hair, usually dark blonde, had lightened in white streaks. Her skin was a deep honey color, and her navy eyes were sparkling with life. She hardly resembled the pale defeated girl she had been at the end of last term. Lily hated to admit it, but she could tell that Noelle belonged in France.

"Have you heard from James?" Noelle's voice broke through her reverie.

Lily nodded, "Yes. He owled me last week. He is with Sirius and Remus. They're going on holiday with James' family. I think they're going to America." She paused. "Have you heard from Sirius?"

Noelle shook her head, staring out at the sea. "I thought he might owl me, but I have received nothing."

Something in her voice told Lily that her friend wasn't telling her everything. Lily waited. "I have heard from Colin though."

Lily's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

Noelle nodded. "He asked if I would be his date for the Ambassador's Ball." Noelle dug her toes into the warm sand.

"What did you say?"

Noelle gave her friend an odd look. "I said yes, of course."

Lily gave her a warning look.

"Oh Lily, it is nothing! Everyone else at the Ball is boring. If I did not go with Colin, I would be miserable." She sat up straighter. "That reminds me. We both need to go shopping for new dress robes."

"Why me?" Lily asked.

Noelle smiled at her slyly. "You will be going too, of course. It is in Cannes this year, and you will still be here."

Lily swallowed nervously. "Who am I supposed to go with?"

Noelle winked at her friend. "I have a few ideas, do not worry." She grinned mischievously. "We will find someone."

Lily groaned and flopped onto her back while Noelle laughed.

* * *

The days in Cannes passed swiftly, now that Lily was there. They went riding on the beach every morning and spent most afternoons sunbathing. After two weeks, Catherine decided that it was time to go to Paris to shop for new dress robes. She gathered the girls in the family room and instructed Lily on the proper pronunciation of the shop's name.

"It is called La Maison de Fête. You must say it correctly, or you will get lost."

Lily repeated the words and Catherine nodded. "Bon. D'accord. Allons-y." The girls stepped into the emerald flames.

Once in the shop, the girls were astounded. Lily had never seen anything quite like this before. Carefully dressed witches aided other witches in selecting the most beautiful robes either of them had ever seen. The manager spotted Mme. Lemieux instantly.

"Madame Lemieux! What an honor! And Mademoiselle Noelle, You look ravishing!" she paused. "And how might this be?" she asked spotting Lily.

"This is Lily Evans, one of Noelle's school friends. We will all be needing dress robes for the ball."

The woman's eyes glowed. "Of course. This way please."

She led the girls to a section where young witches were helping other young witches with the robes.

"Choose whatever you like, girls." Madame Lemieux called over her shoulder as she headed for the women's section.

Noelle began sifting through the racks of robes. "What color are you thinking of, Lily?" she murmured softly.

Lily shook her head, not knowing where to begin. "I have no idea. What do you think?"

Noelle eyed her friend critically. Lily trusted her friends taste in design, so she knew whatever Noelle chose, she would look good. Finally Noelle pulled a hanger off the racks. On the hanger were a set of deep copper colored robes. The neckline was low, but still demure, and the straps went around her neck and fastened at the nape. There was a matching cloak of rust velvet. Lily pulled a face.

"Orange? On a redhead? Are you mad?"

Noelle shook her head in exasperation. "Just try them on!"

Lily reluctantly took the hanger and flounced off to the dressing room. Noelle shook her head with a small smile and continued flipping though the racks. A few minutes later, Lily appeared from behind the dressing room doors. A sales-witch hurried to her side, and began to tug on the material until if fit Lily as if it had been made for her. Noelle walked around her friend and said to the sales-witch,

"Can we make it a little redder?"

The sales-witch nodded and aimed her wand at the robes. The color deepened. It complimented her dark red hair and bright green eyes. The time she had spent in the sun had given her cheeks a little color. Noelle smiled with pleasure at her friend, and then turned Lily to face the mirror. Lily gazed at herself and gasped. She had always thought of herself as attractive, but even she had to admit that she looked beautiful. She glanced at the tag hanging from the robes. Her heart sank when she read the price. There was no way she could afford these robes. Noelle saw her friend's face fall, and quickly grabbed the tag out of her hand. Lily began to protest.

"Lily, you are my guest. Do not worry about it."

The look on Noelle's face told Lily it was useless to argue.

"Now, we search for my robes."

She resumed flipping through the racks. Lily reached into the depths of a rack and unearthed a set of ivory silk robes. They had thin spaghetti straps that held up a bodice that was encrusted with pearls. A lightweight ivory cashmere cape was draped over the back of the hanger. She knew that with Noelle's dark blonde hair, navy eyes and deeply tanned skin, these robes would suit her to perfection. She shook the hanger at her friend. Noelle'e eyes went round and she reached for the hanger.

Wordlessly, she headed for the dressing room. She emerged a few minutes later. The sales-witch drew in a sharp breath. Noelle looked exquisite. The ivory silk molded her slim hips and fell in graceful folds. Her dark blue eyes looked almost violet. She slowly turned to face the mirror. She stared at herself.

"I will take these robes." She said, almost to herself.

The sales-witch nodded. Both girls returned to the dressing rooms to change back into street robes. After they had changed, they wandered over to the shoes, and made their selections. Noelle selected a pair of high strappy ivory sandals, and Lily pounced on a pair of bronze heels.

Catherine Lemieux called across the shop. "Girls? Are you ready?"

The girls hurried to her side. She lifted the cover off of her robes. "Do you like these?" Madame Lemieux had selected a set of satin robes in shade of dark mauve that complimented her light blonde hair and fair skin. Both girls nodded in agreement.

"We shall be the belles of the ball!"

Noelle and her mother laughed out loud as they walked into the fireplace.


	2. Chapter 2 Girls Night Out

Back in Cannes, the girls carefully hung their new robes in Noelle's vast closets.

"When is this ball?" Lily inquired.

"It is next Friday night." Noelle said distractedly, flipping through the racks of Muggle clothes in her closet. "Do you feel like going out tonight? My birthday is tomorrow."

Lily turned to her friend. "I didn't know that your birthday was tomorrow. Why didn't you tell me?"

Noelle shrugged. "It is nothing. I have never really celebrated it very much."

Lily smiled widely. "Of course we can go out tonight. Where do you want to go?"

Noelle thought hard. "There is a night club downtown. Many witches and wizards go there. We could try that."

Lily nodded. "That sounds like fun." "Bon. Let's do that. We'll eat dinner and then get ready."

* * *

The girls ate dinner rapidly. They rushed back to Noelle's room, whispering furiously about how they were going to get out of the house. Finally Noelle said,

"We will just go. They will never find out."

Against her better judgment, Lily agreed. As they dressed. Noelle was slightly nervous. She had never sneaked out of her house before. She selected her clothes carefully. They needed to look at least eighteen. She pulled a jean skirt and a red tank top on. She piled her long hair on top of her head, and then curled the strands that fell loose. She desperately wished she could use her wand on her hair; using a Muggle curling iron took forever. She smudged a little eyeliner around her eyes and stroked her lashes with mascara. Adding a touch of shiny pale red lip gloss, she turned to Lily. Her friend looked her over critically, then nodded.

"Definitely eighteen."

Noelle checked the mirror one last time, then eyed Lily. Lily was wearing a short white skirt and a tight black tee shirt. Her long red hair hung down her back, and her bright green eyes were lined softly in black. They both definitely would make the age requirement.

"Alors, shall we go?" Noelle asked, checking her purse for money.

They both slipped out of the doors that led to the balcony off of Noelle's room. They crept down three sets of stairs and dashed across the lawn.

They hopped over the low wall that bordered the property and hurried to the road. Once there, Noelle checked over her shoulder, expecting to hear shouts coming from her house. Nothing. She smiled widely. Laughing happily, she grabbed Lily's hand and scampered down the road. 

At the door of the club, the girls tried not to fidget as the bouncers studied them carefully. Noelle smiled charmingly as he eyed her up and down, inwardly disgusted at the way he took her for a piece of meat. Finally the bouncer reached for the velvet rope. She let her breath out in relief and grabbed Lily's hand.

Inside the room was dim and the music was thumping. Young witches and wizards were crowding rthe large dance floor, moving their bodies to the music. Noelle quickly veered to the right and headed to the bar. Shouting to make herself heard, she ordered two butterbeers while Lily found an empty table. She hurried over to it and handed Lily her drink. She sipped slowly and scanned the room. She didn't see anyone she knew at first, but then her eyes locked on Nicolette, one of her best friends from Beuaxbatons. She jumped to her feet and flung her arm over her head, waving frantically. Nicolette spotted her and hurried to her side. They chattered rapidly in French until Noelle remembered Lily. She introduced her two friends, and motioned a waitress over. As she was ordering the drinks, she reached for her purse to get some money.

"I'll get that."

A familiar voice rang out over the thumping music. Noelle turned is disbelief. It was Sirius.

The tall boy smiled slyly as he dropped coins on the waitress's tray.

"And we'll have three more butterbeers as well."

The waitress nodded and headed to the bar. Noelle was dumbfounded.

"What are you doing here?" she managed to ask as she recovered from the shock of seeing him.

"Staying at Remus' aunt's house. James' parents decided to go to the Bahamas, by themselves. So we came here."

Sirius pushed his dark hair out of his face and studied Noelle. She looked amazing, even more beautiful than he remembered. She looked nervous.

"I didn't realize that you would be here, honestly Noelle. But it's really great to see you."

Her face relaxed into the smile that he loved.

"It is good to see you too, Sirius. Lily is here as well."

She turned to find her friend and saw that James had beaten her to it. Nicolette was standing of to the side, looking slightly out of place. Sirius caught Remus' eye and inclined his head toward the tall French girl. He gathered his courage and approached Nicolette. The girl's eyes widened with interest, and within minutes, they were following Lily and James to the dance floor. Sirius stood next to Noelle and raised his bottle to his lips. He shoved his right hand deep into the pocket of his khakis. He glanced at Noelle out of the corner of his eye. She was watching her friends, and occasionally sipping her drink. She body swayed slightly to the music. He took a deep breath.

"Noelle, can we go somewhere and talk?"

At first she didn't say anything, then she nodded apprehensively. She pointed to a door at the rear of the club, and followed Sirius outside.

The night was warm, but there was a slight breeze coming off the water. It lifted her hair and made the loose strands dance around her face. They stood in silence, looking out at the sea. Finally, Noelle turned to Sirius expectantly.

"Well?"

He took a deep breath before he spoke. Still facing the waves, he spoke.

"About last year? And the way I treated you?" He paused and turned to meet her eyes. "I'm really sorry about it. I was...well, I was an ass."

Noelle nodded thoughtfully. "Oui. You were."

Sirius' hands clenched the railing. He stared at his feet for a moment, then looked at her again. There was a smile playing around her lips. She was teasing him.

"That is all?" she said.

"What more can I say?" he sputtered.

She pretended to think very hard. "Beg my eternal forgiveness." Her eyes twinkled. He reached over and tickled her ribs. She squealed and jumped away. He chased her around the patio, still tickling her.

"Stop...STOP!!" she sadi breathlessly. "I forgive you!"

He stopped, smiling wryly. Noelle caught her breath, and gazed at him.

"How's Laura? She asked, even though she really didn't want to know.

Sirius blushed slightly. He didn't want to talk about Laura with Noelle.

"She's fine, I guess."

Noelle eyed him suspiciously. He shrugged.

"I really haven't talked to her." He lied.

Noelle looked cheered by this, and he felt horrible for lying to her. Just then Lily and James burst onto the deck, their cheeks flushed from dancing. Lily fanned her red cheeks.

"Oh this breeze feels nice." She said, leaning over the railing.

James was standing there, looking mesmerized by the pretty redhead. Inwardly, Noelle smiled. It amused her that they were so taken with each other, but neither one would admit it. Kind of like how much she liked Sirius, and wouldn't admit it. Remus and Nicolette came out shortly after. Now those two look like they're hitting it off nicely, Sirius thought to himself. Nicolette was a very pretty girl. She spoke English with a thick accent, just like Noelle had when she had first come to Hogwarts. Noelle's accent was fading, but still noticeable. Remus didn't speak French at all, but they seemed to be managing just fine.

"Let's go dance some more!" Lily pleaded, tugging on James' hand.

He allowed himself to be pulled back inside, and Remus and Nicolette followed them. Noelle looked at Sirius. He had a terrified look on his face the second Lily had mentioned dancing. She decided to give him a break.

"I do not feel much like dancing, do you?"

He chuckled and bowed his head. "I never feel like dancing." He said ruefully.

Noelle laughed and pointed to a table that had just opened up. "Do you want to sit?"

He nodded and followed her over to the table.

He pulled a chair out for her, and she gracefully sat.

"How has your summer been?" he asked while they were waiting for more drinks.

She made a face. "It was very boring, until Lily got here. Then it got fun."

She didn't mention the week long battery of tests that she had been put through in Paris. She still wasn't about to tell anyone at Hogwarts about her illness. She made a mental note to tell Nicolette not to say anything to Remus either.

"How has yours been?"

Sirius leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chest. "Well, it started off with my parents not being at the station to meet me, not like I was expecting them to. So I went home to get clothes to stay at James' and got into a huge fight with both of them. So I packed my stuff and left. Haven't talked to them since then."

Noelle looked concerned. "You do not get along?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. We don't see eye to eye on many subjects."

His voice told her that was the end of the subject and she didn't push him any further. She crossed her slim legs and put her bottle to her lips, finishing her drink in two sips. She motioned to the waitress again and ordered two more. She looked at Sirius and his eyes were locked on her legs. He appeared to be hypnotized. She leaned over and put a finger under his chin to raise his head. He blushed deeply and looked away. She put her hand on his knee, and he practically jumped at her touch.

"So, have you been having a good time with Lily?" he asked.

She nodded enthusiastically. "We've gone to the beach every day, and gone riding. We've had a blast."

He smiled at her accent. "I see that we've corrupted your English."

She laughed and took another sip of her new drink. She eyed him thoughtfully.

"What?" he finally asked.

"I was just thinking. What happened to make you apologize to me?"

He shifted his eyes from her penetrating stare. He didn't want to answer that question. "I don't know...I just felt bad I guess."

She didn't look satisfied with that response, but he was saved by the lack of beats coming from inside the club. "I guess that's our cue to leave."

He stood and held a hand out to help her up. She wobbled slightly. He caught her.

"Whoa...steady there."

She put a hand over her eyes. "I think I had too much to drink." She said thickly.

She allowed him to lead her back inside. James and Lily were standing near the front door. Lily didn't look much better than Noelle.

"Where's Moony?" Sirius asked.

James grinned wickedly and inclined his head to the left, where Nicolette and Remus were kissing in a dark corner.

"Way to go, Moony!"

Sirius and James exchanged high fives. When Sirius let go of Noelle to slap James' hand, she wobbled again, almost losing her balance. He caught her again, and she leaned heavily against him. He glanced at Lily, who was also being held up by James.

"Time to go."

James nodded and tightened his grip on Lily. Sirius whistled sharply for Remus, who tore himself from Nicolette. The three boys waved goodbye to her as they helped Lily and Noelle walk out of the club. Once outside, Noelle perked up long enough to blearily tell Sirius where her house was.

As they were walking, he was practically carrying her.

Finally, he said, "Here, this is easier."

He easily swung her into his arms, her weight hardly a burden to him. She slung her arms around his neck. Burying her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder, she breathed deeply. Her breath caused chills to run down his spine and goosebumps to pop up on his arms.

"You smell nice." She murmured against his warm skin.

Her lips brushed his neck when she spoke, and he went weak in the knees. He held her closer as they made their way to the house. Lily whispered to go around the back. They crept up the three staircases and Remus quietly slid the balcony door open. James said goodbye to Lily reluctantly. Sirius gently laid Noelle on her bed and removed her sandals. He pulled the covers over her limp body. Gazing into her navy eyes, he brushed some hair off her face. She smiled weakly at him. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Good night, Noelle."

As he pulled away, she was already asleep.


	3. Chapter 3 Sweet Sixteen

The next morning, Noelle awoke with a pounding head. She rolled over groggily and glanced at Lily's bed. Lily was sprawled on her back, her arm flung over her face and her mouth open. Noelle sat up slowly and pulled her knees into her chest. She rested her chin on her knees and blinked slowly until her vision cleared. Today was her sixteenth birthday. Her eyes strayed to the door to her balcony. She remembered last night, or at least most of it. She remembered talking to Sirius, and accepting his apology. She also could have sworn that he kissed her forehead when he put her into her bed.

She rubbed her temples. Why had she had so much to drink? Her sight went blurry again as she tried to focus on the clock on her bedside table. There was a knock at the door, and Lily grunted. She pried her eyes open and groaned when the bright sunlight touched her face.

"What time is it?" she asked as Noelle got up to answer the door.

Marie was standing there, her eyes widened in surprise as she took in Noelle's appearance. Noelle glanced down at herself and realized she was still in the clothes she had worn last night. Marie raised an eyebrow suspiciously, and Noelle gave her a feeble smile.

"Mesdemoiselles, you are being waited on for breakfast, on the terrace."

Noelle nodded. "Très bien, Marie. We will be right down."

Marie left and Noelle shut the door. She pulled her clothes off and reached for a plush bathrobe. She tugged at her hair until it came out of its ponytail. She dragged a brush through the tangles and returned it to its ponytail. Lily came out of the bathroom, her face damp from splashing cold water on it. Noelle turned to leave her room.

The walls spun, so she slammed her eyes shut until it stopped. She glanced at the mirror before she left her room. Her skin was pale with a greenish tinge. She pinched her cheeks to give them some color. Lily peered over her shoulder and groaned when she saw her own reflection. The redhead's eyes were deeply bloodshot. Noelle laughed.

"We make quite a pair right now."

Lily snorted in agreement, and pressed her hand to her forehead.

"I need coffee."

Noelle nodded in agreement. They stumbled out of her room and shuffled down the hallway.

* * *

On the terrace, her parents were waiting patiently.

"Bon Anniversaire, chérie!" her mother's voice resounded in her ears, making her head pound again.

She smiled weakly and hugged her mother. She leaned over and pecked her father on the cheek, then settled into her usual seat. Marie poured the girls coffee and passed a tray of croissants to Noelle. She took one, broke it in half, and slathered some jam on it. She chewed slowly, not sure how it would react with her stomach. She caught sight of the stack of presents beside her father. Her eyes widened in surprise, and her mother laughed. She had always received plenty of presents, but this year she had really made out well.

There were boxes of robes, both casual and dress, and stacks of Muggle sweaters, jeans, blouses and skirts. She had enough new shoes to wear a new pair every day for the rest of the summer. There were at least three new perfumes, all with a type of lavender scent, with soaps and lotions to match. The jewelry was what really astounded her though. In her family, a girl's sixteenth birthday was a very big event, even if it wasn't to that girl. That was when a girl began to accumulate her jewelry. There were strings of pearls, diamond earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces in an assortment of different precious stones.

When she finally finished opening all her gifts, she was speechless. Her parents had given Lily a few gifts as well, so she wouldn't feel left out. Lily was amazed by her friend's parent's generosity. Noelle slowly took in all of her new things, then squealed and jumped to her feet, forgetting her hangover. She flung her arms around her mother, and then her father. The two girls immediately began hauling the presents to Noelle's room.

As she was hanging her new clothes in her closets, she suddenly began to cough. The dry hacking coughs racked her body, and she grabbed the doorway to steady herself. Lily rushed to the bathroom and got her a glass of water. Noelle tried to sip it, but it wouldn't go down her throat. She sat on the edge of her bed and finally the coughs stopped. She felt weak, as if they had taken every ounce of energy that she had. Lily rubbed her back, and stared at Noelle with a question in her eyes.

"Noelle, what is going on?"

Noelle shook her head. "I don't know what you mean, Lily." She answered, swinging her navy eyes from her friend.

Lily's bright green eyes studied her friend's face like searchlights. "I'm serious, Noelle. Why do you have these coughing fits? And why do they leave you so weak?"

Noelle's eyes filled with tears. "It's nothing Lily. I promise."

Lily still looked skeptical, but she didn't press her.

"Let's go to downtown Cannes today. We can have lunch and look around the shops." Noelle quickly changed the subject.

Lily laughed, "Do you really need to go shopping?"

Noelle blushed, "No...oh, you know what I mean!"

She playfully tossed a pillow at Lily. "Oh, yes of course I did. So you meant, let's go downtown and try to find Sirius and the others."

Noelle blushed even deeper. Sputtering, she tried to defend herself. Lily just knowingly smiled at her, and headed to the bathroom to shower.

* * *

It was a beautiful day in Cannes. Catherine Lemieux had insisted that the girls be driven to town, and that the car would be at their disposal for the entire day. They strolled the crowded streets, taking in all the tourists. The beaches were crawling with people, and Noelle was secretly grateful for the private beach at her house. Everywhere they went, they received the royal treatment.

When Lily asked about it, Noelle replied, "You know my father is the French ambassador to the International Confederation of Wizards. Well, he is also working on the Muggle side of the government. He is something like a representative of the citizens of Provence and la Côte d'Azur. He is well known, so therefore, my mother and I are well known. It can get very boring."

Lily laughed. "Boring? My father is an accountant, and my mother is a housewife. I'm the first witch in my family. My sister Petunia is, well, Petunia has to be experienced, not described. She's very ashamed that I'm a witch."

As the girls talked and walked, they were completely unaware of the affect they were having on the young male population of Cannes. Noelle's long hair hung straight over her tanned shoulders, and her legs seemed to be a mile long. Lily's dark ruby hair caught the sun, and glowed with different highlights every time she moved her head.

Across the street, three boys watched them. Sirius turned to James.

"Should we go talk to them?"

James nodded. "Why not?"

They left their table at the little bistro they had chosen for lunch and crossed the street. James bumped into Lily, and said,

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Please excuse me!"

Lily laughed.

"Would you ladies care to join us for lunch?"

Lily nodded, and then looked at Noelle. A wave of nervousness washed over her face, but then disappeared.

"Of course we would love to have lunch with you."

Sirius crooked his elbow towards her and she eyed it warily. It was the same way he had held an arm out for Laura. She shook the image out of her head and took his arm. They sat at the small table and read the menus. The waiter asked what she wanted and she selected un jambon- beurre, a ham sandwich with butter. The boys all got turkey sandwiches, but Lily couldn't decide what she wanted.

Finally, she just said, "I'll have what she's having."

Noelle sipped her water while they waited for their food.

"So what are your plans for this weekend, girls?" Remus asked.

Noelle sipped more water and said, "We are attending the Ambassador's Ball on Friday. Then, probably beach on Saturday. Yours?"

Remus turned slightly pink. "I have a date, with Nicolette."

Noelle gasped, "You do? Congratulations!"

Remus turned pinker. "What about you two?"

James grinned. "We were thinking of going back to that club, that place was great."

Sirius nodded in agreement. "So you are going to the Ambassador's Ball? Why? Your father?"

Noelle nodded. "Since I am sixteen now, today in fact, I am required to attend all formal events."

Sirius' eyebrows shot up. "Today is your birthday? Why didn't you tell us?"

Noelle shrugged.

"Well, happy birthday then."

She thanked him. Their food arrived and the next few minutes were filled with the sounds of chewing. Sirius swallowed.

"Who are you going to the ball with?"

Noelle nervously put her sandwich down and twisted the new ruby ring on her hand.

"I am going with Colin." She said to her fingers. She couldn't meet his eyes.

A flash of jealously flared in his grey eyes, but he quickly hid it. "Oh really?" he tried to sound nonchalant.

Noelle finally met his eyes. "Oui. His father is the Scottish Ambassador."

Sirius nodded slowly. "Who is Lily going with then?"

Noelle quickly answered. "She is going with an old friend of mine from Beauxbatons. His father is the Ambassador from Luxembourg."

Lily caught her friend's eye, and saw that Noelle was trying to tell her not to say anything. They resumed eating.

After lunch, the boys decided to go back to Remus' aunt's house to play Quidditch, and the girls stayed in Cannes. After bidding them goodbye, Lily turned to Noelle.

"So, that's who I'm going with? Why didn't you tell me?"

Noelle looked unhappily at her friend. "I was going to. You will meet him tonight at my house. He and his parents are coming for dinner."

Lily looked somewhat relieved. "At least I get to meet him beforehand."

Her friend still looked unhappy. "What is it?" Lily asked.

"It is nothing...well, yes it is something. My friend, your date, his name is Antoine. He is very nice, very charming. He was one of my best friends at Beauxbatons."

"So, what's the problem?" Lily pressed.

Noelle stopped walking and motioned to a bench. They sat and Noelle stared out at the azure waves.

"Antoine is not the problem. His brother, Olivier is the problem. I used to date him. In fact, every one, including our parents, thought we would be married. I met him my first day at Beauxbatons. He was a third year, and I never thought I would end up with him. We didn't really start dating until my third year, his sixth. We dated until he graduated. Then we broke up." Noelle paused, her voice full of emotion.

Lily laid a hand on her friend's arm. "Why did you break up?"

Noelle didn't answer her.

"Noelle?"

Finally Noelle turned to face her friend. "Lily, I am going to tell you something that you need to promise me will never leave your lips. Promise me. You must."

Lily put a hand over her heart and held the other one up. "I swear Noelle. You can tell me anything."

Noelle took a deep breath. "I am very sick, Lily. There is something wrong with my heart, and my lungs. The healers do not know what has caused this, and they have tried everything to make me well. Nothing has worked. I got very sick at the end of last year, and our relationship could not stand the pressure. So I ended it."

Lily covered her mouth with her hand. "You're okay now though, right?"

Noelle nodded slightly. "Oui, I am well now." She lied.

"So why couldn't you try to work things out?"

Noelle pushed air out of her lips. "It is better this way. He is not the person that I thought he was."

"Is he going to be there tonight?" Lily questioned.

"No, at least I am pretty sure he won't be there. He works in Switzerland now." She ran a hand through her hair and glanced at the watch on her wrist. "We should go meet the car. I want to go riding before dinner."

She got to her feet and so did Lily. Impulsively, Lily hugged her friend.

"I won't tell anyone Noelle. I promise." Noelle hugged her back, feeling guilty for not telling her friend the whole truth. "Come on...let's go back to your house and go riding. I need to work on my jumps." Lily grabbed her friend's hand and tugged her down the street.

After they went riding, the girls had to rush to get ready for dinner. Noelle selected a set of navy silk robes to wear. She left her long hair tumbling down her back in waves. She lent Lily a set of hunter green robes, and quickly braided her dark red hair in a French braid. They hurried down to the parlor talking about what to do later that night. There were already voices coming from the parlor when they approached. Noelle pushed the door open and entered ahead of Lily.

Immediately she was wrapped in a hug from Antoine. She hugged him back tightly and kissed both his cheeks. She turned to introduce him to Lily. Antoine's light blue eyes brightened with interest when he looked at Lily. He bowed low and pressed his lips to her hand.

"Enchante, Lily."

Lily giggled and blushed. Noelle turned to greet Antoine's parents, the Roussards. She kissed his mother and hugged his father. She made the introductions again and glanced at the doorway for her parents. They hadn't arrived yet so she called Marie to ask for some drinks. As she was giving Marie the orders, someone said,

"Don't forget...I like lime in my ice water."

She heard the voice and trembled, not wanting to turn around. She did however, and for the first time in a year, set eyes on Olivier Roussard.

Trepidation ran through her body. She honestly had not expected to see him tonight. She swallowed nervously, but hid it well by pasting a smile on her face. She held her hand out, and he covered it with both of his. He stared deeply into her eyes. His dark brown eyes were a soft chocolate, and his dark brown hair had just a slight curl to it. He stood about 6'1", and had a trim muscular figure.

Noelle could feel herself trembling when their skin touched. All of her old feeling rushed over her in a deluge. She felt herself being overwhelmed by it, and she had to struggle not to succumb. She wanted to fling herself into his strong arms, and feel the comfort that she remembered. She had always felt so safe in his arms. She forced herself to remain where she was. Ice, she told herself. Stone. Steel. He released her hand and she quickly pulled it back.

Thankfully, her parents entered the room and there were loud greetings by the elder Lemiuex and the Roussards. Noelle was able to escape back to Lily's side.

"Are you alright?" Lily whispered to her friend as they made there way to the dining room.

Noelle was so pale she looked ghostly, but deep in her navy eyes was a warm glow that Lily had never seen there before.

"Oui, I am fine." Noelle murmured as they entered the dining room.

On the wall behind the long table hung a large banner, with "Bon Anniversaire, Noelle!" written in sparkly blue paint. Her father was standing at the head of the table, holding out the seat where he usually sat. She was surprised. He never relinquished his seat. She walked over to him. He kissed her soundly on each cheek and gazed at her with pride. The look her gave her was so intense it made tears spring to her eyes.

"Je t'adore, Papa." She managed to say in a shaky voice.

She hugged her father tightly, knowing how scared he was of losing her. The others in the room turned away and blotted their eyes at the emotional scene between father and daughter. Noelle slowly pulled away.

She dabbed at her own eyes and said, "Alors, Lets eat and not cry."

The diners laughed and found their seats. She sat at the head of the table with her father on her left and Olivier on her right. Lily sat between M. Lemieux and Antoine. Catherine Lemieux took her usual seat at the other end of the table. Madame and Monsieur Roussard sat on the other side of Olivier.

As they enjoyed a scrumptious meal, the conversation moved smoothly from Lily's family, to Noelle's new school and then to Olivier's new career as a historian for the Swiss Ministry of Magic. He spoke enthusiastically about his travels throughout Old Europe and the castles he had seen.

"They are all very beautiful, but I imagine, if you had someone special to share them with, they would be breathtaking."

At this, he turned and gazed at Noelle. She blushed deeply and stared into her plate. Antoine covered the awkward silence.

"Lily, Noelle tells me that you would like to work in the Experimental Charms department."

Lily took the hint and began to talk about how interesting she found Charm work. Noelle shot her a grateful look, but as she was pulling her eyes from Lily, they met Olivier's. Throughout the meal, their eyes met surreptiously, and it did not go unnoticed by anyone at the table. Finally, Marie brought out Noelle's birthday cake.

As they sang to her, Noelle pressed her eyelids shut. May I find everything that is good in life, and forget all that is bad, she wished for herself. Taking a careful deep breath, she blew out her candles. She peered at the cake, and chose the largest piece for herself. Her mother looked at her in surprise.

"What? It is MY birthday! Calories do not count for me today!" she teased.

Everyone laughed, knowing how little Noelle cared about calories. Slowly, she lifted a forkful to her mouth.

"Mmmm, so good." She moaned.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed Olivier was practically salivating onto his slice of cake. Quickly, she snapped her mouth shut and finished her cake.

After everyone had finished, the adults stood to retire to the front salon for some after dinner drinks. Noelle and Lily were on their way out of the dining room when Antoine stopped them.

"Lily, would you like to take a walk? Maybe get to know each other better?"

Lily shot a nervous glance at Noelle, who smiled encouragingly at her. She turned back to the handsome boy.

"I would like that very much."

Antoine smiled and extended his arm for Lily to take. She took it and allowed herself to be led outside. Noelle tugged at her navy blue robes and started for the foyer and the stairs to her room. Leaning against the newl post was Olivier, waiting for her. His brown eyes locked to her blue ones.

She placed a hand over her throat in surprise and took a step back. He pushed himself away from the post and approached her slowly.

"Noelle...I would like to talk with you."

She looked at him blankly. "I thought we had finished talking. I have nothing left to say to you."

She made to stalk around him, but her grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaving. She stared down at the fingers clutching her arm, then raised her head and opened her mouth to tell him off. He silenced her with his mouth. He pulled her body close to his, trying to mold her stiff form to his.

At first, she stood rigidly, not giving in, but the power of his kisses was too much. Slowly, her arms sneaked around his neck and her fingers twined through his hair. They stood in the dim foyer, lit only by the silver moonlight pouring in through the windows around and above the door. They kissed quietly for a few minutes. For Noelle, it was a rebirth of the passion that had ruled their relationship. She had always had a hard time controlling herself around him. For Olivier, it was a rediscovery of the Noelle he had always loved.

When they finally broke apart, her eyes opened slowly and seductively, her red lips shiny and parted invitingly. Then her eyes went wide. She tried to break out of his grasp, but he held her tight,

"No Noelle. I am not going to let you run away. Do not feel guilty about kissing me."

He paused and she stopped struggling. "I love you Noelle, I never stopped loving you."

Hot tears flowed immediately from her eyes.

"Then why did you leave me?" she managed to ask before she wrenched her hands from his hold and covered her eyes.

He stood silently, not entirely sure of what he should say. He chose his words carefully.

"Noelle, I never meant to hurt you. I didn't know what to say, or how to act. I was scared."

Noelle looked at him incredulously. She laughed bitterly. "You were scared? YOU were scared?" she kept laughing, becoming hysterical. "Olivier, I was told at the age of 14 that I only had a few years left to live!"

She swung her arm out and began to pummel him with her small fists. "Do you have any idea how that feels? Did you even think of how scared I was?" she shrieked.

He fended her off easily and pulled her back into his arms. She was still sobbing, and he rubbed her back until the sobs ceased. He whispered in her ear.

"I know how it felt when I found out. Noelle, you and I, we are a part of each other. When I found out how sick you were, I thought I might die as well."

She lifted her head from his chest and gazed up at him. Her cheeks were damp with tears, but her eyes were shining.

"Olivier, you know we cannot be together. My father forbids it."

Olivier released her and walked slowly to the west salon. He sat on a sofa with a dejected look on his face. She remained in the doorway.

"Olivier? What is it?"

She moved to the sofa and carefully sat on the edge. He took her hand in his and lanced his fingers through hers. Then he looked deep into her eyes.

"Noelle, I didn't want to be the one to tell you this. I shouldn't be the one to tell you this."

He took a deep breath and lay against the back of the sofa. With his head still on the back of the sofa he spoke.

"It was your father. Shortly after you were diagnosed, he came to my father and I. He told me everything. He said that with you being so ill, we could not possibly be together anymore. He said it wasn't fair to either of us."

He took a deep breath. "That is the true reason you were sent to Hogwarts, to England. He wanted to keep us apart. I tried to follow you when I found out where you were, but he stopped me."

Olivier raised his head and gazed into her navy eyes. He lifted a hand and ran his fingers through her blonde hair.

"He told me that you didn't love me anymore."

Noelle pressed his hand to her cheek "My father would not do that." She said, shaking her head incredulously, but even as she said it, she knew it was possible.

The look in Olivier's dark brown eyes told her he was telling the truth. She sat, trying to digest what he had just said. Slowly she shook her head.

"Why would he do that?" she looked into Olivier's eyes. "You were what was best for me."

Olivier's eyes glazed over. "He was trying to protect you. He thought if he could separate us, then you had a chance to get better. So you could concentrate on getting well, and not on making our relationship work. Noelle, I assure you, he was trying to make your pain less."

Noelle snorted angrily. "It was not his decision to make, it was mine!"

Olivier wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She laid her head on his shoulder and he pressed his lips to her temple and rubbed her arm.

"So what do we do know?" she whispered.

"I don't know," he replied. "I still love you, Noelle. I always will."

She closed her eyes tightly and forced the image of Sirius out of her mind. "I love you too, Olivier. I am just so confused."

He nodded slowly and lifted her chin to face him. "I am, too." He murmured just before he lowered his lips to hers.

Out on the grounds, Lily was enjoying Antoine's company. Noelle had been right, he was both charming and handsome. He was incredibly polite and well versed in several subjects. They spoke of the differences between Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, and they different styles of magic throughout Europe. Before she knew it, it was almost midnight, and Antoine was escorting her back to the main house. In the foyer, he bowed and kissed her hand again.

"Lily, I had a marvelous time. I am very much looking forward to Friday night."

She smiled brightly. "So am I. Thank you for a wonderful evening."

He smiled again. "Until Friday then. Au revoir." He pivoted and walked into the west salon.

Noelle flew out of Olivier's arms when she heard Antoine approach. He smiled and laughed at the disheveled couple trying desperately to compose themselves.

"Don't worry, I won't tell!" he sang as he walked into the fireplace.

"I should get to bed." Noelle said reluctantly, not wanting to leave him.

He smiled lovingly at her and smoothed the hair off of her face. "Oui, it is late." He kissed her softly. "I will owl you tomorrow."

She nodded. As he turned to Disapparate back to Switzerland, he stopped.

"I almost forgot."

He reached into the pocket of his ebony robes and withdrew a small velvet box.

"Happy Birthday, Noelle." He said softly.

She pried the box open. Lying on the dark velvet was a beautiful sapphire ring set in platinum. She gasped.

"I thought it matched your eyes."

She flung her arms around him one last time and kissed him passionately. Finally, he straightened up.

"I must be going. Good night, cherie. I love you."

She smiled as he Disapparated.

* * *

Noelle slowly made her way up the stairs to her room, trailing her fingers on the maple banister. She had a smile on her lips and she was humming softly. She quietly pushed the door of her room open, not sure if Lily was sleeping. She wasn't, but instead sitting at the dressing table, brushing out her long red hair. She spun in her seat and eyed Noelle curiously.

"Well, well. Did you have fun tonight?" Lily asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

Noelle blushed a deep crimson, and Lily laughed. Noelle sank to her bed and pulled a pillow over her face. She screamed as loud as she could into the pillow while Lily kept laughing. Finally Noelle emerged from the pillow, her hair messy around her face and her cheeks bright red.

"Lily, I kissed him. I'm so confused! I can't believe that he was here tonight!"

Lily looked at her intently. "Do you still love him?"

Noelle thought for a moment. Then she shrugged. "I do not know. I still have feelings for him. Maybe I do still love him. It is hard, you know, to tell myself that I should not love him. I loved him for so long."

Lily nodded wisely. "Maybe you love the memory of him."

Noelle looked confused, so Lily elaborated. "What I meant is, you remember the good things about your relationship, and not the bad things."

Noelle nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe you are right. But it felt so right to kiss him tonight. It was as if all the passion and the romance that we had came rushing back over me." Noelle stood and wandered around her room. "I feel like when I am with him, I could fly. All he has to do is look at me, and I would do anything he asked of me."

She clasped her hands together over her heart and stared at her best friend. "Haven't you ever felt like that about someone?"

Lily shook her head. "No. At least not quite that intense."

She looked a little sad. Noelle wrapped her arms around her friend. "Sometimes I wish I didn't feel like this. It can be a big burden."

Noelle stared out the window wistfully.

"You're thinking of Sirius, aren't you?"

Noelle whipped her head around. "No, of course not."

She tried to lie, but gave up. "How did you know?"

Lily smiled again. "I can always tell when you are. You get this look in your eyes, it's all dreamy. You really like him." Lily stated.

Noelle looked at her hands and twisted her fingers. When she looked up, there were tears rimming her big eyes.

"I do. I like him so much that it hurts when we are apart. When he was being so cruel to me last year, it almost destroyed me to see him every day."

She blew the air out of her mouth and wiped her eyes furiously. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling, where the heavens glowed above her bed. Then she lowered her eyes to meet Lily's.

"Now do you see why I am so confused?"

Lily smiled sympathetically. "Yep, I sure do. And I don't envy you at all."

She reached over and hugged her friend again. "No more tears."

Noelle laughed and wiped her cheeks again. "Some Sweet Sixteen. All I've done is cry!"

Lily laughed. "Happy Birthday Noelle."


	4. Chapter 4 Ambassador's Ball

After Noelle's birthday, there was only a week until the ball. She was looking forward to it, but it was mostly because Olivier was going to be there. She had received one owl from him, telling her that at the lat minute, his plans had changed and he would be attending by himself. She had also received an owl from Colin.

_Dear Noelle, _

_I can't wait until Friday night. I need to know what color your robes are. I hope you are as excited as I am. Can't wait to see you. _

Colin

She was relaxing on the beach with Lily when Etoile delivered Colin's letter. She sighed as she read it. As she was folding it, she glanced at Lily, who had an odd look in her eyes.

"What?" Noelle asked as she sipped some ice water.

"It's nothing. Just wondering who you will choose." Lily joked, but Noelle had a pained look in her navy eyes.

"Noelle I was only teasing you. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"I know" Noelle said, but her body was still rigid.

Lily nudged her. Noelle relaxed and smiled.

"I should probably write back to him."

Etoile was hopping around uncomfortably on the hot sand so she tapped her shoulder. The owl landed on her shoulder as she wrote her reply. She fastened the parchement to his leg and told him who it was for. She watched him disappear, then checked her watch.

"It is getting late. I would like to go out tonight."

"Back to the nightclub?" Lily asked.

Noelle nodded.

"Want to see Sirius?"

Noelle blushed and nodded again.

Lily laughed, "It's fine with me."

She brushed the sand off her hands. Noelle felt the need to explain herself.

"I just want to see him. I want to see if the feelings that I thought I had for him went away when I saw Olivier the other night."

Lily glanced oddly at her friend. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Noelle."

Noelle shoved her toes into the sand. "I know, but I want to." She squinted out over the waves. "I should not be thinking of either of them."

* * *

After dinner, the girls once again dressed to hit the club. This time, Noelle decided that she didn't care whether she got caught. She wore her shortest white skirt and a low cut bright red bustier. She curled her long blonde hair so that it tumbled seductively down her shoulders. She lined her eyes darkly with black and found a sheer ruby gloss to wear on her lips. She layered black mascara on her lashes until they looked thick and lush. She turned to Lily and struck a pose.

"How do I look?" she said, making her accent even thicker.

Lily laughed. "You look wonderful."

Noelle smiled. "Good. Sirius Black, eat your heart out."

They snuck out the same way they had gone last time. However this time at the door, there was trouble. The bouncer eyed Noelle carefully.

"You are Noelle Lemieux, n'est-ce pas?"

Noelle arrogantly threw her hair over her shoulder. "Oui, I am. Why?"

She gave the bouncer a superior look. He met her eye and thought better of tangling with her.

"No reason." He mumbled as he unclipped the velvet rope to let the girls inside.

Once inside, Noelle let her breath out slowly.

"That was very close." She whispered to Lily.

She gazed around the room, then walked to the bar to order a drink. They prowled the room, occasionally sipping their drinks as they scanned the room. Lily spotted James right away. He hurried to her side and kissed her cheek. Lily blushed faintly as he hugged Noelle.

"Remus is on the dance floor with Nicolette, and Sirius..." his voice trailed off.

Noelle raised her eyebrow, then peered over James' shoulder. She could see Remus and Nicolette, and another couple dancing near them. She practically growled when she recognized the girl as Bridgette, a girl she had never gotten along with. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw who Bridgette was dancing with. She looked at James with a question in her eyes.

"I tried to stop you from looking." He said apologetically.

Noelle blinked hard, as if she was trying to change the scene in front of her. Sirius was dancing. He told her he never danced. She swallowed hard and tried to compose herself. The song ended and both couples headed off the floor. Nicolette hugged both girls, and then they hugged Remus. Bridgette smiled snottily at Noelle.

"How are you feeling, Noelle?" Bridgette simpered.

Noelle clenched her jaw. She couldn't believe that she was bringing this up.

"I am fine. And I see that your parents allowed you to get your nose fixed." Noelle replied innocently.

Bridgette drew in her breath sharply. Just then, Sirius noticed Noelle and Lily. He hugged Lily quickly and then turned to Noelle. He put his arms around her tightly. She whispered into his ear,

"Thank you for taking care of me last week. I owe you."

As she pulled away, she looked enticingly into his grey eyes. Was Noelle just blatantly flirting with me? He thought to himself. He quickly shoved the thought out of his head. Bridgette was tugging at his hand. He barely knew this girl, but she had come over and started talking to Nicolette earlier. Nicolette had seemed pretty annoyed with her, but she hid it well. Sirius had finally agreed to dance one song with her so she would shut up. It figures, he thought, that Noelle would walk in at just that moment. The five Hogwarts students and Nicolette talked rapidly between themselves. Bridgette got annoyed and stalked off toward the bar. Noelle smiled to herself as she sipped her drink.

After two hours of dancing and talking, Noelle needed air. She wandered out to the patio. A waiter asked her if she wanted anything, and with a smile, she declined. Leaning on the railing, she stared out to sea. The things that Olivier had told her still invaded her brain. What was she supposed to do? Now that she knew her father had lied to her, and tried to keep someone she had loved deeply away from her, she didn't want to listen to his diatribe. She wanted to live, and be a normal sixteen year old witch again.

"Hey." A soft voice called behind her. She smiled as she turned.

"Hello Sirius. Hot in there, non?"

He did look rather flushed, in a handsome sort of way. His dark hair was tousled and his grey eyes glowed in his deeply tanned face. He was wearing a white button down shirt and dark grey pants. His shirt was open slightly at the neck, and she could see a thin gold chain winking in the lights from the club. Her fingers itched to unbutton the rest of the shirt, but she restrained herself. He walked over to where she stood and leaned against the railing next to her.

"You look beautiful tonight, by the way."

She blushed slightly. "Thank you." She sighed deeply. "I see you met Bridgette." She said tightly.

Sirius snorted.

"I see you like her about as much as I do."

Noelle looked at him in surprise. "You do not think much of her?"

Sirius laughed. "Not hardly. She's a weird one." He said, shaking his head.

Noelle wanted to do back flips she was so happy. She turned so she was standing in front of him, only inches apart.

"Sirius, there is something I've been meaning to ask you."

He took her hands in his. "Anything, Noelle. You know you can ask me anything."

She took a deep breath. "Do you remember that night at James'?"

He swung his eyes from hers for a second, then back. "Yes, of course." He said. "Why?"

She gazed into his beautiful eyes. "Do you ever think about when we kissed?" Her voice was husky and low.

His eyes widened. "All the time." he blurted out before he thought.

She smiled slowly at him. "You do?" she whispered.

He started to cover it up, but then stopped. He was sick of playing games with her.

"Yeah, Noelle. I think about it a lot."

She didn't give him a chance to say anything else. She launched forward, flung her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. He was amazed, but not as much as Noelle. She had thought that kissing Olivier was the best thing in the world, but it paled in comparison to kissing Sirius. At that moment, she forgot everything. She forgot where she was, she forgot who she was. She even forgot every single promise she had made to her parents. All she knew was know she was finally in Sirius' arms and she didn't plan on ever letting him go.

When they finally broke apart, Sirius was breathless. Noelle was still pressed tightly to his body, and he could feel her heart pounding against his chest. She gazed into his eyes and he could feel the desire emanating from her eyes. She bit her lower lip softly and then looked down.

"Wow, Noelle. What was that for?"

She giggled. "I just wanted to see if it was as amazing as I remembered it."

He raised his eyebrows. "Well, was it?"

She pretended to think very hard and he gave her a playful shove. "Yes, of course. Actually, I think it was better than I remembered." She said, and pulled him closer again.

They kissed softer this time, discovering each other slowly. His hands caressed her back and she played with his silky hair. He lifted a hand to her face and stroked her cheek. She let out a soft moan and hugged him tighter. Finally he begged for mercy. She stepped away from him and ran her fingers through her hair. He sneaked a glance at her. Her porcelain skin was flushed, and her navy eyes twinkled. He was filled with a desire to grab her again, but managed to refrain when he heard someone approaching.

Lily and James were cautiously creeping onto the patio from the beach below. James looked up and caught Sirius' eyes.

"Uh oh...Busted Lily."

Lily quickly looked up. Noelle and Sirius waved cheerfully at the couple.

"Prongs my friend, have you been corrupting young Miss Evans?" Sirius teased.

"I would never! Ok, well, maybe a little."

Lily punched him in the shoulder as they all laughed.

"Remus and Nicolette had a great idea." James said, pushing his unruly hair away from his sweaty face. "They want to go back to Remus' and go swimming."

Sirius nodded. "I'm game."

James looked at Lily, who glanced at Noelle. She glanced at her watch. "We can go, but we cannot stay long. My parents do not know we have gone out."

After she said this, the boys hurried inside to tell Remus. Lily leaned over to Noelle.

"Are you sure this is all right? I don't want to get you in trouble."

Noelle nodded and crossed her fingers behind her back.

At Remus' aunt's house, Noelle realized that she and Lily didn't have suits. When she lamented on this, Sirius opened his mouth but Noelle cut him off.

"No, Sirius, we are not going without suits."

He grinned wickedly, while the others laughed. Nicolette decided to solve this problem. She jumped in the fireplace to travel back to her house. While she was gone, the boys changed and rushed down to the beach. Lily and Noelle relaxed on the couch in the parlor.

"What were you doing on the beach with James, Lily?" Noelle asked innocently.

Lily turned flame red. "We were just talking."

Noelle nodded convincingly. "Sure."

Lily blushed deeper. "We were! And what were you doing with Sirius on the patio? Hmm?" she demanded.

"We were kissing." Noelle said nonchalantly.

Lily gasped. "You were? But I thought..."

Noelle cut her off. "I am preferring not to think tonight, Lily. In fact, I have completely forgotten how to." She grinned at her friend.

Lily laughed. "Well, that's good. You think entirely too much sometimes."

Noelle whacked her friend with a pillow. Nicolette popped out of the fireplace, shaking two bathing suits at the other girls. They quickly changed and headed for the beach.

Remus was body surfing in the small waves that were coming ashore while Sirius and James raced to a rock about 50 feet out. Noelle put a toe in the water and shrieked.

"It is freezing!" She pulled her foot out.

"Oh, don't be a baby!" Remus grabbed her around the waist and she toppled into the water.

Screaming, she flailed until she could stand up. She growled at him and chased him into deeper water. They met James and Sirius about halfway to the rock.

"Where's Lily and Nicolette?" James asked, spitting water out of his mouth.

"They are being babies, and wading in." Noelle stated.

Remus guffawed. "Babies? It is freezing!!" he squealed in a high pitch imitation of Noelle's voice.

Noelle splashed him in the face. They treaded water for a few minutes until the other girls made their way to them.

Nicolette pushed Remus underwater, thus starting a water fight, boys vs. girls. After about 10 minutes, the girls declared themselves the winners, as none of the boys wanted to push them under. Sirius swam to where Noelle was standing in shoulder deep water. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her salty lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, oblivious to the whistles coming from the others. Sirius held up his hand behind her back and gave the group a rude gesture. He pulled away from her and studied her intently. She was shivering slightly and her lips were turning blue.

"Time to get you out of the water. Don't want you getting sick again."

Her insides froze. "What do you mean? Sick again?" she asked nervously.

"Last winter, you got sick? Around Christmas?"

She breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, following him to shore.

He wrapped her in a warm towel and sat down beside her. She shivered again.

"Aren't you cold?" she asked.

"Me? Nah. I never get cold."

His shoulders glistened in the silvery moonlight. She stared at his profile, thinking again how breathtaking he was.

"What?" he said.

"Nothing. I was just looking at you."

He smiled seductively. "You can look at me anytime you want."

She laughed and pressed her cold lips to his. "You're getting colder. Let's go inside." She reluctantly nodded and rose.

Heading back to the main house, he grabbed her arm and steered her towards a small guest cottage.

"We're staying here...Remus' aunt said she didn't want a bunch a rowdy boys in her house."

Noelle laughed and allowed him to lead her inside. The living room was a mess. Shoes and robes were tossed everywhere, as well as empty pizza boxes and empty bottles of butterbeer. She laughed to herself as he scurried around, trying to clean.

"Sirius! Leave it, I do not mind."

He sheepishly looked at her and stopped cleaning. She gazed around the room and shivered violently.

"Let me go get you a sweater."

He raced up the stairs. Quietly, she followed him.

She heard him rummaging around in the room on her right. Silently, she pushed the door open. He turned around, a sweatshirt in his hand.

"Noelle...what are you doing up here?" he asked nervously.

She smiled sweetly. "I was lonely downstairs."

She slowly walked towards him, dropping the towel as she moved. He opened and closed his mouth, no words coming out. She wound her arms around his neck and parted her lips invitingly. Eagerly, he kissed her. They stood for a moment or two, kissing in the middle of his bedroom. She began pressing on his back. Confused, he started to pull away from her. She held on tight to him and began leading him to the bed. He took the hint, and slowly lowered her onto it. As she reclined on his pillows, he was overwhelmed with his desire for her. How many times had he dreamed about this? Noelle Lemieux was on his bed, wearing practically nothing, and it was her own doing! He couldn't believe his good luck. As he lowered his body to hers to keep kissing her, a little voice spoke in his head. He tried to silence it, but he knew it was right.

Reluctantly, he pulled away. "Noelle, as much as I want to do this, and I really, really want to do this..." he blew air sharply out of his mouth. "I think we should stop...before we can't".

She gave him an odd look, mixed with desire and pain. "You do not want to kiss me anymore?" she whispered.

He took her hand. "No, Noelle that's not it...I want to kiss you all night. But you and I both know that this could go beyond kissing. I'm not going to take advantage of you."

He swore to himself as he said the words. Noelle was practically throwing herself at him, and his stupid conscious was acting up. She gazed at him, and then looked down.

"I understand." She said softly.

"Hey." He reached for her and tilted her face to him. "It's not that I don't want to...you know...but I just don't think it is the right time."

A smile played on her lips. "I believe you, Sirius. And I agree." She said with a sigh.

She lay back on his pillows and grinned at him. "At least lay with me for a little while? Please?" she pouted prettily.

"How can I resist that face?" he joked and curled up next to her.

* * *

Sunlight touched her face. She opened her eyes slowly, having the feeling that she didn't know where she was. She didn't recognize the room at all. She felt someone stirring next to her. She turned slowly, knowing who it was. Sirius was sleeping peacefully beside her, his arms tightly around her body. His face, usually so animated, was relaxed. She had to smile at him; he looked so boyish as he slept. She hated to wake him up, but she knew she had to.

She shook him gently and he groaned. He tightened his arms around her and buried his face in the pillow.

"Sirius!" she hissed in his ear.

"Whaa?" he said blearily, opening his eyes.

"I need to find Lily! And we need to go home!"

She fumbled for the clock on the bedside table. She let out a relieved sigh when she saw it was only 6:00. Her parents never rose before 8:00 when they were on holiday. Quickly, she jumped out of bed. She fumbled for her clothes to put on over her bathing suit, and then remembered they were in the main house. She groaned. Sirius was finally awake. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and yawned hugely. He stood unsteadily and stumbled around the room.

"Here." He said, handing her a set of robes.

She pulled them over her head and rolled the sleeves up.

They both thundered down the stairs. Lily was anxiously pacing the living room.

"Noelle! I've been looking for you all night!"

Indeed, the redhead looked as if she hadn't gotten much sleep.

"I am fine, but we need to hurry!"

Noelle quickly kissed Sirius goodbye and pulled Lily out the door. They flew down the street, making it back to Noelle's house in record time.

They crept up to her room by way of the balcony stairs. The whole house was silent. She pushed open her bedroom door and slipped inside, Lily behind her. She pulled off the borrowed robes and sank onto her bed. Lily stood there gaping at her.

"What?" Noelle finally asked, not meeting Lily's eyes.

"What happened to you last night? You and Sirius just disappeared."

Noelle looked at the floor. "Nothing happened!" she said, quickly meeting her stare, then averting her eyes quickly.

Lily still looked skeptical. Noelle sighed.

"All right. We went to his room, and we kissed. I fell asleep. Nothing else happened, Lily, I swear."

Noelle's eyes pleaded with Lily. Finally, Lily accepted it.

"I was just curious, you know. You had been talking about him earlier, and when we couldn't find you, I got a little worried."

Noelle looked surprised. "Lily, I can take care of myself."

Lily nodded. "Oh I know you can. But I wanted to make sure you weren't making any quick decisions."

Noelle was slightly taken aback. "Wrong decisions? I though that you liked the idea of Sirius and I together."

Lily quickly agreed. "I do. Just make sure you are choosing him for the right reasons."

Noelle nodded. "I am choosing him for the right reasons."

"Good." Lily hugged her friend. "I'm going to put a leash on you though!" she teased.

Noelle laughed and walked to her closet to get her robe so they could go down to breakfast.

The rest of the week sailed by. Every day the girls managed to meet the boys and Nicolette somewhere in Cannes. On the day of the ball, Nicolette pulled Noelle aside.

"I overheard Bridgette talking to someone the other day, on the beach. She was mentioning something about 'staying out all night'. I'm not sure if she was talking about us, but she could have been." Nicolette placed a hand on Noelle's arm. "Do your parents know about it?"

Noelle shook her head warily. She had gone sickeningly pale. "My mother knows that Bridgette and I do not get along. She won't believe her." She said assuredly.

Lily leaned over and Noelle quickly translated what Nicolette had said. The redhead also blanched. Nicolette smiled and said reassuringly,

"I'm sure everything will be fine."

Noelle now had butterflies in her stomach.

She turned her attention to the beach where the boys were tossing around a Muggle football. Sirius caught her eye and waved. He looked amazing with his bronze skin shining with tanning potion. She waved back at him and he ran to her side. Dropping onto the sand beside her, he looked up at her and smiled charmingly. She affectionately ruffled his dark hair. Lily glanced at her watch.

"Noelle, it's almost 2! We need to get home and get ready!"

Noelle gasped and jumped to her feet, covering Sirius with sand. He spit it out and looked at her warningly. She dropped to her knees and kissed him gently.

"Désole, Mon petit chou."

She chucked him under the chin as he laughed. She brushed sand off of her hands and hefted her bag to her shoulder.

"I will owl you later tonight, non?"

He nodded. She leaned down for one more kiss and started up the beach. She realized that Lily was lingering behind, saying good bye to James.

"Lily!" she called impatiently, waving her arms over her head.

Lily reluctantly got to her feet and joined Noelle.

"I was coming." She said grumpily.

Noelle laughed and tugged her friend's hair. "Sure. And I am to believe that you would not spend the day with James Potter if you had the chance?" she teased.

Lily sputtered indignantly. "Ok, I'm sorry! Now let's go!"

Noelle took a long hot shower. When she emerged the steam was so thick she could barely see. She carefully dried her hair and began to work it into an intricate up do. It kept falling. She growled, grabbed her brush and hurried to her mother's room.

"Maman! My hair will do nothing!" she whined.

Catherine smiled at her daughter and pulled out her wand.

"Turn around, cherie."

She wound Noelle's long blonde hair around her wand, tucking the strands behind each other while Noelle tapped her foot impatiently. Finally Madame Lemieux put down her wand.

"How is that?"

Noelle gazed into the mirror. Her long hair was piled on top of her head, held by thin braids. There were a few tendrils around her face. The hair was in big loopy curls, and displayed the sun streaks she had gotten from al of her days on the beach. She smiled with satisfaction and hugged her mother. There was a small knock at the door.

"Me too?" Lily asked sheepishly, her red hair hung in tangles down her back.

Madame Lemieux laughed and picked up her wand again. Within minutes, Lily's long ruby hair was wrapped in a sleek French twist. She quickly hugged Noelle's mother too, and the girls rushed back to Noelle's room.

Noelle pulled the ivory robes off of their hanger. She slipped the cool material over her head and tugged at it to make it hang correctly. They fit her just as well as they had in the shop. She rummaged through her jewelry box, sorting through the assortment of jewels she had received for her birthday. She put dangling pearl teardrops in her ears, and draped a platinum chain with a solitaire dark sapphire surrounded by diamonds around her neck. The ring Olivier had given her was perfect with her necklace. She held an emerald necklace to Lily, along with the matching ring and earrings. The girls stepped back to admire themselves in the full length mirror.

"We look ravishing!" Lily struck a pose and imitated a southern American accent. Noelle laughed and headed for the door.

Downstairs, Monsieur Lemieux checked his watch for the fifth time. His attention was suddenly diverted to the stairs, where his wife was descending with his daughter and her friend. His breath caught in his throat. His wife always looked stunning, but Noelle took his breath away. He had never seen his daughter look so enchanting. He slowly walked to the base of the stairs, and kissed his wife's cheek. He leaned to kiss Noelle, but she quickly drew back. He looked slightly hurt, but she covered it well.

"My makeup...I do not want to smudge it."

He nodded. "You look wonderful, cherie."

She smiled in thanks, and bit back a caustic comment. Her father turned to Lily.

"And you too, Lily. You look beautiful."

Lily blushed and giggled. "Thank you, Mr. Lemieux."

He checked his watch again. "Alors, it is about that time. Shall we go?" Madame Lemieux nodded and swept off toward the front door, with the girls behind her.

In the car, Madame Lemieux fussed with Noelle's hair.

"It is fine, Maman. Leave it alone!" Noelle said irritably, pushing her mother's hand away.

The long black limousine pulled up in front of the mansion of the French Minister of Magic. The chauffeur held out a hand, and Noelle slid hers into it. When she emerged from the limousine, there were flashbulbs going off around her. She smiled brightly and stopped to wait for Lily. Colin was just inside the door. When he spotted her, he hurried out to meet her. He kissed her demurely on the cheek and embraced her lightly. She turned to introduce him to her parents. Her father shook Colin's hand and gave him an approving glance. As they were chatting, Antoine hurried to them.

"I'm so sorry I was late. The portkeys were all messed up."

He quickly kissed Lily on the cheek. Noelle introduced Antoine and Colin, but they already knew each other from other functions.

The four teenagers walked together into the ballroom. It was decorated in shades of burgundy and gold. There were many well dressed witches and wizards milling around the room, talking to people they hadn't seen in years. Quickly, they found their seats. Thankfully, they were all seated at the same table. Colin pulled out Noelle's seat then sat next to her. He reached into the depths of his forest green robes and handed her a corsage made of lily-of-the-valleys. She brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply. Leaning over to kiss his cheek in thanks, her eyes locked on the last person she wanted to see.

Olivier had just entered the ballroom, but he was not alone as he told her he would be. On his arm, dressed in robes of bright crimson, was Bridgette Lapointe. Noelle gasped. Despite the events of the past few days, she still wasn't ready to see Olivier with anyone else, especially her worst enemy. There was anger and pain flashing in her navy eyes. Antoine saw this, leaned forward and said,

"Noelle, he was supposed to come by himself, but Bridgette's father asked our father if Olivier would take her."

Noelle pasted a smile on her face. "I do not know what you mean, Antoine. Why would I care who your brother attends with?"

The look in her eyes told him to remain silent. He quickly glanced at Colin, who was trying not to be obvious as he listened to their conversation. Thankfully, Colin didn't speak French. Olivier and Bridgette passed by their table and paused. Olivier looked nervous.

"Noelle, you look lovely. And Lily, it is good to see you again."

Lily silently nodded, casting a worried look at her friend. Noelle outwardly appeared calm, but inside she was raging. How dare he have the audacity to show up with Bridgette? She fumed. Bridgette had the smuggest smile on her face, and Lily wanted to slap it off.

There was tense small talk until Bridgette's annoying sighs finally caught Olivier's attention. He turned to her.

"Why don't you go sit at our table?" he said pointedly.

"I think you should come with me, Oliver." She said petulantly.

He sighed. "Fine, we will go sit. And my name is Olivier, not Oliver."

She made a face, "Whatever...it's not a big deal."

Olivier looked at her incredulously. "Of course it is...it is my name! How would you like it if I called you Bird-jet?"

The whole table exploded in laughter. Angrily, Bridgette flounced away. Olivier shrugged and followed her. After they had left, Colin looked at Noelle. Her lips were white with anger.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Oui. I am fine." She spoke between clenched teeth.

The French Minister of Magic tapped his glass, and they all turned their attention to the podium. Noelle's father stood beside him.

"Welcome all, to the 100th annual Ambassador's Ball. It is lovely to see so many familiar faces. A special welcome to the family of François Lemieux, the French Ambassador to the International Confederation of Wizards. His lovely wife, Catherine."

There was polite applause as her mother stood and bowed slightly to the tables.

"And his enchanting daughter, Noelle."

Stunned, Noelle slowly rose. As she made her own small bow, she saw Lily making a face at her, and Olivier looking at her with pride, while Bridgette pointedly did not clap.

"The Lemieux' are responsible for the gala tonight, as well as myself, and we all hope you enjoy yourselves immensely."

Noelle quickly took her seat as the tables began to fill with food. She selected her meal and began to catch up with Colin.

He spoke about his internship at Gringotts and told her that he had secretly tried out for the Chudley Cannons, a professional Quidditch team in Britain.

"That is wonderful!" Noelle exclaimed.

He smiled modestly. "My father doesn't know yet." He said under his breath.

She gave him a wary look. "Are you going to tell him?"

Colin sighed, "Eventually, I will have to."

Noelle patted his hand reassuringly. From the front of the ballroom, she could hear the music beginning. Her father motioned to her.

"I think we must open the dancing, Colin." She whispered to him.

He nodded. "Fine."

He stood and offered her his arm. Regally, they strode to the front of the room. Noelle set her chin high as she passed Olivier's table. She and Colin took their places on the dance floor, and the music began.

It was a lovely ball, Lily thought as Antoine spun her around the floor, dipping her low. She giggled as she righted herself. The song ended and she applauded. She fanned herself lightly.

"I'm going to get some air. I'll be back in a few minutes."

He nodded and she hurried to the side door.

She breathed the sea air deeply.

"Psst...Lily!" she heard a voice from the bushes.

She placed her hand over her throat as the source of the voice emerged, covered in twigs.

"James?? What are you doing here?" she whispered furiously.

He stood goggling at her. "Wow, Lily, you look amazing."

Despite herself, Lily smiled. James swiped at his black hair to get the sticks out.

"We wanted to see you guys."

Lily gave a start. "We?"

James nodded. "Sirius! You can come out!"

The tall boy stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. He smiled winningly at Lily. "Where's Noelle?"

Lily shook her head in exasperation, and said, "Hold on, I'll go get her....and for God's sake, stay hidden!"

She hurried inside, searching for Noelle. She found her deep in conversation with Olivier. Noelle looked as if she could use a rescue. Lily went to her side and whispered in her ear,

"Can you come outside? I want to talk to you."

Noelle gave her an odd look, but nodded and followed her. Once outside, she asked,

"What is it?"

Lily nodded toward the bushes. "See for yourself."

Noelle gasped in astonishment when Sirius rose from the bushes. He crashed his way through the underbrush to her side. Bending slightly, he kissed her cheek and smiled charmingly at her. She swallowed nervously.

"Sirius, I am glad to see you, but you really should not be here!"

She glanced over her shoulder into the ballroom.

"Come for a walk with me." He pleaded.

She shook her head, but not convincingly. He tugged at her hand, and finally she caved in. Carefully making her way down the path, they slowly strolled through the shadows of the garden.

After they were about 25 feet away from the ballroom, Sirius pulled her deeper into the shadows and into a tight embrace. She turned her face up to his and kissed him softly.

"Noelle..." he whispered.

"Oui?" she murmured back.

"I have never seen anything quite as beautiful as you are right now. You are exquisite. You take my breath away."

Tears sprung to her eyes as she kissed him again. She gazed adoringly into his velvety grey eyes. As she leaned in for another kiss, she heard twigs cracking near them, they quickly broke apart, but it was too late. Bridgette emerged from the path, grinning smugly.

"Well, well. What do we have here?"

Bridgette advanced on the couple. Noelle stepped forward to confront her, but Sirius held his arm out.

"Bridgette, how nice to see you again."

She smirked. "Nice try. Neither of you can get out of this one."

She spun rapidly on her heel and stormed back to the ballroom. Noelle's heart was pounding.

"I am in so much trouble." She whispered to herself.

Sirius glanced at her oddly. "Noelle, we weren't doing anything wrong."

She looked at him in disbelief and pushed her way back to the garden path.

He followed her. "What were we doing that was so wrong?" he asked.

She waved her hand at him to keep him quiet, then peered at the door to the ballroom. There was no one there. Heaving a sigh of relief, she turned back to him.

"We were doing nothing wrong. You were right."

She lifted her right hand and smoothed his hair away from his eyes. She leaned down from the step and pressed her lips to his.

"Noelle!"

Her heart froze again. It was her father.

François Lemieux grabbed Sirius by the collar and physically tried to push him down the stairs while Noelle begged him to stop. Sirius was too strong, and wrenched himself out of her father's grip. Her father stood straight and adjusted his robes.

"Young man, I suggest you remove yourself from these grounds, immediately."

Sirius scowled. "All right, sir, I will leave."

He turned to Noelle and smiled at her. "I will owl you later."

François turned an angry red. "You will never have contact with my daughter again!"

Sirius yelled right back, "You can't keep her from me! I love her!"

Noelle stared at him in amazement while her father laughed condescendingly.

"You are both too young. Neither of you know what love is yet."

He physically turned Sirius around. "Now GO."

Sirius gazed at Noelle. "Come with me."

She looked at him as if he had two heads.

"What? Sirius, I cannot go with you." She shook her head in panic.

"Please, Noelle...I'm begging with me." He pleaded.

She took a small step towards him and felt her father's hand heavy on her shoulder. She looked up at him in fear, and then stepped back.

"I cannot." She whispered through her tears.

She covered her face with her hands and fled towards the ballroom.

At the door, she removed her hands from her face. Colin stood there, frozen in shock, with Olivier and Bridgette next to him.

"See?" Bridgette said shrilly. "I told you that you had to see what was happening outside."

Colin looked at Noelle. "You were with Black?" he managed to ask.

"Who is Black?" Olivier inquired.

Colin answered him without taking his eyes from Noelle. "He is someone who insulted her and degraded her every day for months at school. He never missed an opportunity to make Noelle cry." Colin studied her intently. "Why were you with him?"

Noelle couldn't answer him. She just burst into fresh tears and pushed by him into the ballroom.

She quickly made her way around the perimeter of the room until she got to the coat room. She took her coat from the witch at the coat room and flung it over her shoulders. She hurried outside and saw her father waiting at the limousine with her mother and Lily. She stopped and glanced around for an escape. Her father opened the door of the limousine and inclined his head. She had no choice. Bowing her head in shame, she climbed into the car.

The ride back to her house was funeral silent. She gazed out one window while Lily gazed out the other. Her father sat in stony silence while her mother stared at her hands. At the house, they all climbed out of the car and walked into the house. In the foyer, her father raised his arm and pointed into the front salon.

"Both of you."

Lily looked up in surprise, but followed Noelle inside.

They sat side by side on a small sofa while he paced in front of them. Finally, he spoke.

"How long has this been going on, Noelle?"

She looked bewildered. "What do you mean?"

"How long has he been here!" her father thundered.

Noelle drew back instinctively. "I don't know, Papa. We saw him in Cannes one day, and he was staying with a friend. It was not planned!"

Noelle eyes begged him to believe her. François spun to face Lily.

"This is your doing! Noelle would never have even thought of betraying our trust, until she went to Hogwarts!"

Lily blanched and then turned red with anger.

Noelle burst out, "Do not speak to my friend like that! Lily had nothing to do with this!"

Her father pointed to the door. "I want you out of my house."

Lily stood and glared at him. "Gladly." She spit at him. She stalked out of the room.

"No, Lily, wait!"

Noelle rose to stop her friend, but her father grabbed her arm painfully. "You are going nowhere. At the end of the summer, you will accompany your mother and I to America, where you will a Muggle high school."

Noelle gasped. "You cannot be serious!"

Her father's eyes narrowed to slits. "Oh, I am very serious about this."

As Noelle stood, astonished, she heard Lily coming back down the stairs. Noelle broke free of her father's grip and hurried to her friend. She embraced her tightly and cried into her shoulder. Lily whispered into her friend's ear.

"I am going to Remus'. Find me there."

With a scathing look at Monsieur Lemieux, Lily spun and left the house.

Noelle collapsed on the floor sobbing.

"Get up." Her father snarled at her. "Compose yourself."

Noelle's sobs continued, becoming more and more hysterical. Her breath caught in her throat and she began to cough. The coughs turned to hacks. Her body was racked with the fit and it was shaking uncontrollably. Catherine Lemieux screamed and rushed to her daughter's side. Noelle's mind was racing.

Breathe...I must breathe...but every breath was harder to take. She turned her eyes toward the high ceiling and mercifully blacked out.


	5. Chapter 5 Family Ties Unraveled

The healer bent over Noelle's inert form. He listened to her heart and her lungs, then looked up at her parents. Both of them were standing with absolute shock on their faces.

"She needs to be in the hospital right now. Preferably the one in Paris."

Catherine Lemieux nodded and rushed off to pack a small bag for each of them.

The healer took in the stunned look on François' face.

"What exactly happened, monsieur?"

François swallowed thickly. "There was an argument. She became hysterical, and she collapsed."

The healer raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Catherine hurried back into the room. The healer gently picked Noelle up and Apparated to Paris, with her parents right behind him.

By the time Noelle was comfortably ensconced in a private room, it was well after midnight, and she was still unconscious. The healer made some notes on a chart and tucked Noelle's blanket around her tightly. The petite girl stirred briefly, but remained asleep. He sighed deeply. Her prognosis was not good, and now she had been unconscious for over three hours. He knew there was more to the story, and that her father was definitely not telling him something. Checking her stats one last time, he lowered the lights and eased out of the room. 

The next morning, Catherine rose to get a cup of coffee. As she was paying for her drink, her eyes fell on that morning's newspaper. Her eyes widened with shock and she almost spilled her coffee. On the front page was a picture of Noelle, with the headline,

_"Ambassador's Daughter Stricken Ill Last Night"._

With shaking hands, she paid for a copy and rushed back to the room she was sharing with her husband.

Wordlessly, she held it out to him. They read it quickly together. Thankfully, the newspapers did not know much. All the article said was that Noelle was ill with an unknown ailment. It didn't mention her chronic lung condition whatsoever. Catherine touched her husband's hand.

"Perhaps she has awoken, François."

Her husband looked at her with dead eyes. "I was a monster last night. What happened?"

Catherine shrugged. "You were thinking of what is best for her. You always do."

He grasped her hand. "Do I?"

They sat in silence, before briefly embracing. He wiped his hand over his face and rose to shower.

They had been at the hospital only moments when an urgent owl was delivered to Noelle's room. François skimmed it briefly.

"I need to return to America. There is an emergency."

Catherine nodded. "I shall go with you."

He looked surprised. "You will not stay with Noelle?"

Catherine's blue eyes filled with tears. "I cannot bear to see her like this."

She cast an uneasy glance to the bed where her daughter lay motionless. They bid their daughter goodbye, and hurried from the room.

From deep inside her coma, Noelle was haunted. She kept reliving the events of the night before. She saw herself being restrained from following Sirius by her father. She heard the argument between herself and her father. She desperately wanted to talk to both Lily and Sirius, but she could not wake herself. She felt as if she was experiencing the worst parts of her life over and over again. She screamed inside, but there was no sound. So instead of trying to force herself, she curled up in a ball in the corner of her mind and waited for it all to end. 

Outside, Sirius squinted at the sign; sure he had found the right place. He had read the article that morning, and without a word to his friends, had taken the Floo network into Paris. It had taken all of them hours to calm Lily down last night, but finally she had regained enough composure to tell them what had happened. Three times, Sirius had gotten up to go do battle with Noelle's father, but he had been restrained by James and Remus. Eventually, they had all fallen asleep, out of pure exhaustion. Sirius had stayed awake, his grey eyes glowing with the thought of revenge. At the desk, he asked for Noelle Lemieux.

"I am sorry, Monsieur. Mademoiselle Lemieux is not permitted visitors right now."

Sirius smiled disarmingly, and said, "I have traveled all the way from Britain, as soon as I heard. Please, all I ask is five minutes."

The witch at the desk thought, and finally said, "Tres bien. But only five minutes."

Sirius ran for the elevator.

On the fourth floor, he scanned the numbers on the doors until he found her room. He peeked in, not knowing what to expect. Noelle was very still on the bed. Her blonde hair was limp around her face, and her skin had a greenish tinge to it. Her chest was barely rising. He covered his mouth with his hand and quickly diverted his eyes. After a moment, he recovered and slowly walked to her bedside. He sank into the chair next to her and carefully picked up her hand. With his free hand, he delicately touched her face. Her skin felt so cold. 

"Monsieur! You do know that she is in a coma? She does not know what is happening."

Sirius turned to face the healer. "I didn't know she was this bad."

The healer placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder while the dark haired teenager tried not to cry.

"You care for her very much." The healer stated, and Sirius chuckled in spite of his grief.

"Is it that obvious?"

The healer smiled. "She will get better, I am sure of it, once she realizes that there are people who care about her."

Sirius laughed bitterly. "I see you have met her parents."

The healer nodded slowly. "I was not impressed, but everyone handles their grief differently." He checked his watch. "I must make my rounds. I will return in 30 minutes to check on her."

Sirius nodded, and the healer left. Alone with Noelle, he scooted closer to her bed. Her breathing was shallow. He leaned closer to her ear and began to spin a wonderful life for the two of them.

"We will have a beautiful home, right on the sea. There will be a tower, so you can always look at your precious stars. We will be the envy of the wizarding world, Noelle, I promise."

From far away, Noelle heard his voice, almost in an echo. She fought through the darkness towards the sound of his voice. She struggled to open her eyes. Sirius saw her lids flicker. He tightened his grip on her hand a little.

"Come on Noelle, open those pretty eyes."

They flickered again.

"Come on baby, just for a minute." He pleaded with her.

This time they flickered and stayed open. For a full three minutes, they stared deep into each other's eyes.

At first glance, Sirius knew Noelle had been to hell and back. She ran her tongue over her parched lips and tried to speak. He poured her a glass of water and held it to her lips. Her voice was raspy,

"You came back to me."

Sirius cupped her face in his hands. "Noelle, I would do anything for you. I would give you anything you asked for. If you asked for the moon, I would go crazy trying to get it for you."

Her eyes rimmed with tears, and so did his.

"Noelle, I meant what I said, I love you. I love you more than I ever thought possible."

His voice was heavy with emotion .From the doorway, the healer watched the touching scene. The dark haired boy and the blonde girl bowed their heads so their foreheads were touching. They whispered to each other, so softly he could not make out what they were saying. He cleared his throat and the two reluctantly pulled apart.

"Well, Mademoiselle, I am glad to see you have decided to join us, thanks to your young man here."

Sirius blushed and Noelle looked at him adoringly.

"However, Monsieur, now that she is awake, there are tests that must be done."

Sirius nodded with understanding and stood. Noelle locked her midnight blue eyes on him as he leaned to kiss her.

"I'll be back later, I promise."

She smiled and he blew her a kiss as he left.

Noelle tried to sit up straight as the healer checked her lungs. The effort exhausted her. Finally, the healer finished.

"Excuse-moi, but where are my parents?"

The healer looked extremely uncomfortable. "They had to return to America."

Noelle blanched. "They left? Without making sure I was alright?"

She knew her parents had a hard time accepting her illness, but she could not believe they would just leave her alone, unconscious in a hospital.

"Did they say when they would return?"

The healer shook his head sadly. "Non, mademoiselle."

Noelle swallowed thickly and turned her head away from him so he would not see her cry.

Later that day, Sirius entered her room, humming softly. He carried a bouquet of yellow roses. Slowly he lowered them to his side. Noelle was turned toward the window, her navy eyes blank. There were dried tear stains streaking her cheeks.

"Noelle? What happened?"

She turned to him. "Nothing is wrong."

Sirius raised his eyebrow skeptically. He didn't believe her for a second. She stared at him unwaveringly. She swallowed before she replied.

"I am sure there is nothing wrong."

He had no choice but to accept it. He took a seat next to her bed and picked up her hand. She squeezed it as tightly as she could, which wasn't very tight at all, and resumed staring out the window.

A few hours later, Sirius awoke to voices in the hallway. He shot a glance at Noelle. Her eyes were wide with panic and her breathing was shallow.

"It is my parents! Hide! Quickly!"

Sirius shot out of his chair and ducked into the bathroom.

Noelle tried to compose herself as her parents entered the room. Her mother swept over to her and kissed her forehead. Noelle stayed rigid against her pillows, not returning her mother's affection. Her father was nervously pacing around the room. Noelle caught his eye and stared unflinchingly at him. He avoided her eyes completely. He cleared his throat.

"The arrangements have been made. You will attend a public Muggle high school in Massachusetts. You will live with your mother and I."

Noelle was slowly shaking her head. "No, Father. I will be returning to Hogwarts in September."

Her father began to get angry. She cut him off abruptly. "I know you feel that you know what is best for me. You do not. You care only what others think of our family."

She took a painful breath. "I will return to Hogwarts, no matter what you say, with your blessings or without it."

She gazed confidently at her parents. Her father was silent. When he finally spoke, it was through tightly clenched teeth.

"Noelle, you have been nothing but insolent and rude to us since you came home from Hogwarts! How dare you speak to us this way? That Lily is a bad influence, and that obnoxious boy is nothing but trouble!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sirius emerge from the bathroom, with fire in his grey eyes and his fists clenched. She pleaded with her eyes for him to stay hidden.

"Now, I order to you to sever all ties with these people."

Noelle smiled incredulously at him. "You cannot make me forget them. They are my friends! And that 'obnoxious boy' you speak of? I love him! I love him more than I've ever loved anyone!" She shouted, completely forgetting that Sirius was in the bathroom.

Her father laughed scornfully "How can you love him? He is not nearly good enough for you! You have a family name to protect!"

She glared at him and swore, "Damn this family name! I refuse to leave Hogwarts, for once and for all. I am staying with my friends."

She spit the words at her father.

François practically rose the ceiling with his thunderous voice. "You will do as I tell you to do, or mark my words Noelle. You will no longer be a part of this family!"

Catherine Lemieux, who throughout the entire discussion had remained silent, gasped and covered her mouth. She pulled on her husband's arm.

"No, François! Please no!"

He shushed her with an impatient wave of his hand, his dark blue eyes, so like his daughter's, still locked on Noelle. Noelle set her chin proudly.

"Father, if that is your wish, so be it. I will no longer be your daughter."

She barely succeeded in keeping the tears out of her voice. Her mother wailed in anguish. Her father was taken aback, but recovered quickly.

"Very well then."

He spun on his heel and dragged his wife out of the room.

Noelle raised her eyes to the ceiling and took a few deep breaths. Sirius poked his head out of the bathroom and checked for her parents. Seeing that they had left, he emerged, shaking with anger.

"How dare he call me obnoxious? My family is just as respected as yours!"

Noelle reached a hand out to him, desperately needing his reassuring touch. He hurried to her side and sat on the edge of her bed. She bit her lip, her eyes growing wider with panic every second.

"What have I done?" she managed to say.

Sirius snorted. "You have done the right thing."

She laughed bitterly. "The right thing? Are you mad? How is that the right thing?"

He swung his eyes away, not entirely sure of what to say. Hot tears poured out from behind her lids. She quickly looked up. She refused to cry over this. "I cannot believe what just happened." Sirius reached over and turned her face towards him.

"Hey?"

She looked into his eyes sorrowfully.

"I will take care of you, Noelle." His voice trembled with emotion. "I can give you a good life."

She squeezed his hand. "Sirius, I appreciate that, you know I do. But I can take care of myself. My grandfather left me a large trust fund. I will be fine."

He looked at her intently. "Noelle, maybe you didn't understand me. I want to take care of you...forever."

She drew her breath in sharply. "Sirius, you do not know what you are asking."

He stared at her. "Noelle, I love you. I love all of you, the good and the bad." She laughed again.

"There is so much you do not know." He tightened his grip on her hand. "Then tell me, Noelle."

She took a deep breath before speaking. "Not tonight, Sirius. I have had too much excitement for one day." She smiled sadly at him.

He looked upset, so she was quick to reassure him. "I promise, I will tell you."

Her chest contracted at the thought of telling him her secret. He met her eyes.

"When?"

"Soon." She promised. She gazed at the clock. "It is late. I need to rest."

He nodded and slapped his knees. "I'm staying in Paris, at the Georges V. If you need me, contact me there."

She smiled and nodded. He leaned down and brushed her hair away from her pale face, kissing her lightly on the forehead. She looked trustingly into his grey eyes.

"I love you Noelle. I will be back in the morning."

He headed for the door, blowing her a kiss over his shoulder.

After he had left, she exhaled heavily, and then laughed out loud. She had just been disowned, and she was laughing. The entire situation struck her as extremely humorous. She was wiping tears of laughter from her cheeks when her mother silently entered the room. Noelle abruptly stopped.

"What is it?"

Her mother stood at the door, not speaking.

"Well?" Noelle pursued.

"Your father does not know I am here." Her mother finally whispered. "Noelle, what happened tonight did not need to happen."

Noelle sighed. "Yes, it did Maman. If it did not happen tonight, it would have happened another night. He cannot run my life any longer."

Her mother laughed lightly. "He does not try to run your life, cherie."

Noelle looked at her in amazement. "Yes he does, Maman. He does it to you, too."

Her mother shook her head in denial, but Noelle persisted.

"Yes he does, Maman! What was last decision you made in our family, besides what china to use for dinner, or what color robes to wear?" Noelle cried out.

Her mother tried to meet her eyes, but could not. "If I only have a short time left in this world, I am going to live my life in just that way! For the first time ever, I have friends that do not care that I am Noelle Lemieux! They do not care who my father is! They like me! Me!"

Noelle's voice was becoming shrill and she was shaking in frustration. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Tomorrow, I expect the keys to my vault, the vault that Grand-pere Andre left me, to be delivered here. I will make my own way, and live my own life. Finally, my own life!" she screamed.

Her mother wiped her face and began to beg Noelle to reconsider.

"Maman, I have had enough! Get out of my room!"

Noelle picked up the vase on her bedside table that held the roses Sirius had brought her and threw it at her mother.

"Get out! Now!"

In tears, her mother fled the room. Noelle stared at the beautiful yellow roses in the floor amidst the broken glass. Her mouth opened and closed and not a word came out. In horror at what she had just said, she slowly covered her mouth with her hands, and sobbed.

The next morning, the healer entered in a cheerful mood. He pulled the curtains back to let the sunlight in, and Noelle groaned when it touched her eyes. Sitting up groggily, she blinked a few times.

"Good morning, Noelle. Good news, too. You are being released today."

Noelle breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, and your owl arrived, with a package for you."

She anxiously reached for it, and ripped it open. In a plain envelope was her key to her vault. There was no note. So this is what it will be like, for the rest of my life, she thought. Strangely enough, she felt comfortable with it, finally feeling free. She carefully rose from her bed, searching for her bag. Spotting it in the closet, she extracted a set of lavender robes. She grimaced when she saw her reflection. Twisting her hair into a braid, she sat to await the arrival of Sirius.

He was there in twenty minutes, amazed to see her out of bed.

"Good news, cherie! I am being released!" she sang as she embraced him.

He gently picked her up and swung her around, kissing her lips.

"And you are coming home with me. You are not going back to those gits you call parents."

She looked at him reproachfully. "I must go back...at least to collect my belongings."

He reluctantly nodded, "Fine, but I am going with you."

She shook her head. "No, I am going alone."

He opened her mouth to protest, but she silenced him with a look. "Sirius, you are not going to fight my own battles."

He didn't like it, but finally he agreed. The healer entered the room and handed Noelle a clipboard with a piece of parchment and a quill. She eagerly reached for it and scratched her name. The healer smiled at her.

"You are free to go, Mademoiselle."

Noelle happily hugged him and pulled Sirius out of the room.

At Sirius' hotel, she tried to make herself as presentable as possible before she traveled to the French Ministry of Magic to travel to her house. It was hopeless, she still looked wan and pale. She pulled a face and turned back to Sirius.

"I'm ready. Let's go."

He took her hand and led her out the door. At the Ministry, they were ushered to the nearest fireplace. She took a deep breath and stepped into the flames.

She emerged in the living room of her home, alone. The house was like a tomb it was so quiet. She scurried up the stairs to her room, and quickly began to pack. She was almost finished when she heard a noise behind her. Whipping out her wand, she whirled around. Her father stood there.

"Going to hex me, Noelle?" he asked.

She glowered at him. "I am almost finished. I will be gone shortly."

He sighed. "Last night, we all made rash decisions. We all said things that we did not mean."

Noelle lowered her wand slowly and chose her words carefully. "I meant every word I said last night, but not exactly the way I said them."

Her father was stunned. She turned back to her trunk and slammed the lid shut.

She met her father's eyes and said, "Good bye, Father." She heaved her trunk downstairs and left her home behind her.

Once back in Paris, she met Sirius pacing nervously in the lobby of the French Ministry.

"All set?" he asked her.

She smiled winningly at him and gestured toward her trunk. He picked it up easily and they walked outside. He sharply whistled for a taxi and placed her trunk in the boot of the taxi. When they arrived at the hotel, Noelle's jaw dropped.

Lily rushed to her friend and wrapped her in a hug.

"We were so worried!"

Noelle hugged her back tightly, and then hugged James and Remus. She tried to prevent her tears from falling as she hugged her friends. This is my new family, she thought. They are all I have. James finally interrupted the tear fest.

"We're expected at my house tomorrow. We should probably leave today."

Noelle looked at him with a question in her eyes. He shrugged sheepishly.

"I told my mom what happened, and she insisited you stay with us. What can I say, she's a sucker for helping people."

Noelle didn't know whether to be offended or relieved. She chose relieved.

"Thank you James. I was wondering where I was going to go until school."

"Well, we don't have long...we have to be back next week." Remus said.

For some reason, he kept giving Noelle odd looks. She brushed it off.

"So, we should go soon."

Lily grinned, "We're already ready."

James made a face as the taxi arrived at Orly, the Paris airport.

"Mom said that flying is the quickest, non-magical way to get home."

Noelle nodded thoughtfully. "Oui, it is. I love to fly."

Sirius shuddered beside her. She laughed at him and boarded the plane.

The flight passed quickly, because they all slept. Once at Heathrow, they quickly found their luggage. Lily nervously whispered,

"We should have changed into Muggle clothes...I didn't think of it."

Noelle glanced around her, and noticed the funny looks they were receiving.

"Oops." She shrugged.

The taxi ride to James' house sped by. Once the towering roof of the Potter estate was visible, Noelle relaxed. This was her new home, at least for the time being.


	6. Chapter 6 Betrayal

Noelle checked her watch.

"We need to make this train in 10 minutes!" she called to her friends as they hurried down the King's Cross platform.

Lily awkwardly pushed her trolley and simultaneously tried to keep her bag on her shoulder.

At the barrier, Noelle simply walked into it, followed closely by the others. Sirius lifted both of their trunks onto the train while Noelle hunted for a free compartment. She found one in the middle and immediately claimed it. Sirius joined her, then Lily, James and Remus.

James sighed loudly as he pushed his sweaty hair off his forehead.

"It is so hot today. I'm melting!"

Lily fanned him dramatically with her magazine. Noelle laughed at the two, so obviously enamored of each other. Sirius turned at the sound of her laughter and smiled at her. He touched her face lightly.

"You look a little peaked. Feeling okay?"

Noelle groaned. "Oui, Sirius, for the tenth time, I feel fine!" she said irritably.

The train crossed through the green fields, and she felt overwhelming sense of dread. She dug her nails into her palms and clenched her teeth. It passed just as suddenly as it had come. She opened her eyes, and again Remus was giving her an odd look. She smiled weakly at him.

The food trolley came by and the boys ordered a bunch of snacks. To escape Remus' inquisitive gaze, Noelle stood to take a short walk down the corridors. She gazed out the window and breathed deeply. The damp air was permeated with the acrid smell of the coal burning engine, and she coughed slightly. Someone patted her on the back, and she spun in fright.

"Easy, it's just me."

Colin said, still rubbing her back. Noelle winced when she saw him; she hadn't spoken to him since the night she had fled from the ball. She nervously smiled at him.

"How have you been?" he asked her, shifting his eyes away.

Suspiciously, she answered. "I am fine, thank you."

Colin shuffled his feet. "Well, I should get back to the prefects." He puffed out his chest. "Did you hear? I'm Head Boy this year." He stated proudly.

Noelle smiled. "Congratulations. I'm sure your father is very proud."

Colin's face turned to stone. "You could say that." He peered down the corridor and smiled quickly at her. "I've got to run. I'll see you at school." He hurried away before she could say anything.

"Well...bye."

* * *

Down the train, Laura Armstrong was regaling her Hufflepuff friends with tales of her summer with Sirius Black. As Noelle strolled the corridor, she heard Laura's voice. She stiffened when she heard her mention Sirius.

"We went for walks on the beach every day...he brought me flowers. We even spent the first week of July together."

Noelle smiled incredulously. Sirius had been in France with them that week, she was sure of it.

She almost laughed out loud. Laura was lying to her friends! She crept back down to her own compartment to tell Lily what she had heard. Lily gasped when Noelle whispered into her ear.

"What?" Sirius finally said.

Lily cleared her throat. "Um...where were you the first week of July?"

Sirius gave her an odd look. "Lily, have you lost it? I was in France...with you guys."

Lily smiled wickedly. "Oh, ok...just checking."

He wouldn't drop it.

"Oh for crying out loud. Noelle overheard Laura lying to her friends about spending time with you."

Sirius turned red, with anger or embarrassment, Noelle couldn't tell. Finally he spoke.

"I never saw her this summer." He looked at Noelle. "I thought only of you." He murmured.

They kissed softly while James pretended to retch. Lily smacked him in the arm and he feigned being hurt. Sleepily, Noelle yawned. Sirius stretched out on the bench and Noelle rested her head on Sirius' lap and drifted off while he played with her hair.

As the train ground to a halt in the Hogsmeade station, Noelle fought to keep her eyes shut, but eventually pried them open. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes. Blinking rapidly, she saw Sirius hauling both their trunks. Smiling at him in thanks, she hopped down the stairs of the train onto the platform. Lily followed her to a carriage, and said,

"It's nice to have the boys around to do the heavy lifting, right?"

Sirius shot a withering look at Lily, who was the picture of innocence. He growled as he heaved the trunks onto the back of the carriage, then climbed in behind James.

Once at the castle, Sirius held a hand out to help Noelle out of the carriage. They walked through the large front doors holding hands. Laura didn't miss this for a second and her face crumpled. Noelle looked away briefly and caught the leers of some older students, mostly Ravenclaws.

She wondered why they were all whispering and began feeling slightly self conscious. She leaned over to Sirius.

"What are they staring at?"

Sirius had also noticed. "I'm not sure. But I'll find out."

He strode over to the group of Ravenclaws.

"What's so funny?" he asked casually.

"Oh nothing. We were just wondering about your, um, your friend."

The boy inclined his head toward Noelle, who paled. Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"What about her?"

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted by the Head Boy and the Head Girl.

"Students! This way into the Great Hall!" Colin called out over the heads of the younger students.

Slowly they all shuffled their way into the enormous room, where the professors sat waiting for them. Noelle still felt uneasy, like everyone's eyes were on her. She listened to Dumbledore welcome the new students and the Sorting of the first years vaguely, wanting to eat and escape to her room. Finally the first years all took their places with their new houses and the feast began.

Throughout dinner, Noelle felt as though her ears were burning. Everytime she glanced at the Ravenclaw or the Slytherin table, there were people snickering and nudging each other. She caught Colin's eye briefly before he leaned over to whisper something that caused gales of hysterical laughter to erupt from his friends. Desperately, Noelle sought out Severus. He shook his head and shrugged; he had no idea what was going on. Sirius had noticed it too, and he was getting angrier each minute.

Without warning, he stood and walked to the junction of the two tables.

"I would like to know what is so amusing."

Colin raised a dark eyebrow. "Are you sure Black? You weren't amused enough in the garden in Cannes?"

Sirius' face contorted in rage. "What did you just say to me MacDonald?"

His fists were clenched at his sides. Colin smoothly stood from his table and faced him.

"Come on. You can't tell me that you didn't know?"

The blank look from Sirius encouraged Colin to continue.

"I mean, I would think that you wouldn't be surprised." Colin shot a lascivious look at Noelle. "It seems she was quite the little temptress at Beauxbatons."

At this Noelle turned even paler. Sirius shot a nervous glance at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius spat out.

Colin laughed. "It seems our new friend is not nearly as innocent as she pretends to be."

As the fury began to rise in Sirius, Colin kept speaking.

"She's been around...if you catch my drift."

Sirius clenched his fists. "What did you say?" he spit out.

Colin stared him right in the eye. "You heard me."

Over at the Gryffindor table, Noelle was frozen to her seat. This is not happening....this is not happening!, she told herself. Sirius swallowed.

"You apologize to Noelle."

Colin laughed, a heartless cruel laugh. "Take it back? No, thankfully, I never gave it to her."

Sirius drew his fist back and rammed it into Colin's cheek. Colin retaliated and struck Sirius in the mouth. The two boys fell to the floor, wrestling in a tangle while the Hall erupted in noise. All Noelle could hear was the sounds of fists on skin, and she prayed that Sirius was alright.

Hagrid made his way through the crowd and grabbed each boy by his robes. Colin's face was slightly swollen, his cheek abraised. Sirius however, had a broken nose and a chipped tooth. Blood poured in rivers down his robes and he looked slightly dazed. Hagrid shook them.

"MacDonald? What do you think you're doing, fighting? You're head boy!"

Colin looked away. Sirius groaned from the other side of Hagrid's huge body.

"Someone want to bring him to the hospital wing?"

Quickly, James and Remus supported Sirius between them and hobbled to the infirmary.

Noelle was staring at Colin, not believing what he had just said. Colin arrogantly smeared the blood of Sirius on his pant leg. As he brushed by her, he whispered,

"You can thank Olivier for that."

Noelle felt her stomach sink. Olivier had told. Never had she had more regret over that particular night with him. Olivier, who had sworn he would rather die than hurt her. She looked around the room hysterically. It seemed that everyone was whispering about her. Why was is that when people claimed to love her, she ended up betrayed?

She stared at Lily, who returned her gaze reassuringly.

"Noelle...sit down and finish your dinner." Lily hissed at her.

As if in a daze, Noelle sat and methodically raised her fork to her mouth. Her mind was racing too fast to keep up.

* * *

Sirius came to in the hospital wing. He vaguely remembered the argument leading up to the brawl. Colin mentioning something about Noelle, and parts of her life that should have been private. It hit him like a freight train. Colin was eluding to the possibility that Noelle had been promiscuous. Even thinking of someone other than himself touching Noelle made him ill. He didn't want to believe it, but even as he tried to deny it, something inside reminded him of the night in Cannes, when she had aggressively pursued him. He had felt in full force the power of Noelle's passion, and he couldn't believe he had been able to fool himself into thinking that she had never acted that way with anyone ever before.

As he mulled these disturbing thoughts over in his head, the door to the hospital wing was pushed open slowly. Noelle met his eye and quickly looked down. She made her way to his bedside and stood silently.

"How are you feeling?" she finally questioned.

He cracked a half smile. "My lip is killing me." He spoke tightly; the split lip made him sound odd. He met her eye. "We need to talk, Noelle."

Noelle feigned ignorance. "About what?"

Sirius raised a dark eyebrow. "I think you know. Is it true, Noelle? About you and Olivier?"

Noelle looked at her shoe. She thought long and carefully before she spoke.

"D'abord, you need to understand. Olivier was my rock at Beauxbatons. He was everything to me."

Sirius stared at her unflinchingly. She swung her eyes away, heavy with tears. She swallowed them back and kept going.

"Oui. It is true." She whispered, staring at her hands.

Sirius felt his heart plummet to his feet, and then slowly climb back into his chest. There was a lump in his throat that was so large, he didn't think he could speak around it. Finally, he was able to look at her. She was sitting there silently, her head bowed.

"Did you love him?" he asked her quietly.

She quickly looked up. "Oui, I loved him. At least, I thought I loved him."

Sirius snorted. "Noelle, how naïve could you get?"

Anger flashed in her navy eyes, but he continued recklessly.

"Didn't you realize what a mistake it was?"

She stared at him and pulled her shoulders back. When she spoke, there was anger as well as pride in her usually lyric voice.

"Oui, Sirius, it was a mistake, but it was my mistake! No one elses! I will not make excuses for things I have done, not to you, not to anyone anymore."

She took a deep breath before she spoke again.

"Sirius, I never wanted you to find out. I tried to forget it, and he promised me that he would never tell. He promised! It was one night! One very foolish, very thoughtless night. I will not make excuses. I will leave it up to you."

Even though she tried to sound confident, she was trembling inside at the thought of Sirius telling her to walk out of his life. Sirius reached for her hand.

"Are you crazy? I was just jealous."

He couldn't believe he had just admitted that to her. She smiled slightly, so he continued.

"I'll get over it, Noelle."

Even as he said it, he knew it might take him awhile, but Noelle looked so relieved.

She smiled at him and then glanced at the clock on the table. It read nearly midnight.

"I should probably get back to the tower."

She rose slowly on unsteady feet. He smiled thinly at her and she brushed his cheek with her lips.

"I will see you in the morning, non?" He nodded and she left.

In the hallway, she mentally ran the conversation through her head again. Something wasn't right. Sirius had a tendency to hold grudges, why was he forgiving her so quickly? She arrived at the entrance to Gryffindor tower and froze. She didn't know the new password. She swore to herself, and lowered her body to the cold stone floor to wait for morning.

She was shaken out of sleep by the sound of rustling robes coming down the hallway. She rubbed her eyes and squinted to see who it was. Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey were rushing toward her. She scrambled to her feet and Dumbledore gave a start.

"Miss Lemieux! What are you doing out here?" he said nervously.

"I do not know the new password."

He sighed, visibly relieved. "It is 'codswallop'."

The portrait swung open to reveal Remus hovering in the doorway.

"Remus! What are you doing up so late?"

Remus swallowed thickly and his brown eyes swung from side to side.

"I..ah...I...I.." he fumbled.

Professor Dumbledore interrupted. "Remus needs to come with us. His mother is ill."

Noelle sympathetically smiled and hugged him.

"I hope everything works out well. See you soon, Remus."

Noelle swept off to her dorm, not believing a word she had been told. She quietly undressed for bed, musing over exactly how she was going to face her disapproving classmates the next day.


	7. Chapter 7 Secrets Everywhere

Just as she had feared, rumors about her were flying through the castle. She did her best to sail by her tormentors with her head held high, but some days she could not wait to hide behind her bed curtains and cry. Her suspicions about Sirius also proved to be true. He did treat her slightly differently than before, but if she tried to question him about it, he vehemently denied it.

So she sucked it up and forced herself to go to each class, and ignore each snide remark. Lily proved to be a shelter from the hurricane that now swirled around her. Sometimes Noelle could almost laugh at it. In the matter of a month, she had been on her death bed, been disowned, and been completely betrayed and then humiliated by people that had claimed to care about her. She could feel Sirius pulling away from her, a little further each day, and it made her sick to think that he could leave her completely alone.

One day, late in October, Noelle hurried to the Great Hall to eat quickly before she started her Potions essay. As she took her usual seat next to Lily, she heard gales of hysterical laughter erupting from the Slytherin table. She gripped her fork tightly and tried to keep eating, forcing herself not to turn around. Finally, she just could not take it any longer. With steel in her spine and fire in her eyes, she spun to face them.

"What is so damn funny?" she spit out.

One of the Slytherin fifth years, whom Noelle did not know, gazed at her with mocking brown eyes.

"Oh, Noelle, there's nothing funny about you. In fact, we've heard that you are quite sad." He nudged the student next to him, who choked on his laughter.

Noelle looked puzzled, so he continued.

"I thought it was supposed to make you happy, not bawl your eyes out."

Slowly, comprehension dawned on Noelle. Obviously there was little that Olivier had not told Colin. She felt the steel in her spine melt and something inside her snapped.

Silently, she turned away from the Slytherin table and very carefully walked toward the door of the Great Hall. She felt someone tugging on the sleeve of her robes, and urgently whispering in her ear, but she brushed them away. Concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other, she walked through the entrance hall, not caring whether she bumped into anyone. She pushed the large oak doors open and felt the cool night air whip against her face. She proceeded to keep walking outside, until the darkness completely swallowed her.

Back inside Lily was panicking. She had tried to stop Noelle, but the French girl had moved as if in a trance. Her eyes had a strange blank look and no matter how much Lily pulled on her arm, Noelle managed to pry it out of Lily's grip. She raced up the stairs and burst through the portrait hole.

James and Sirius were lounging on the couch nearest the fire, discussing something. As Lily skidded to a halt next to them, they abruptly stopped.

"What are you guys talking about?" Lily questioned, seeing the nervous glances they exchanged.

"Nothing. What's up?" James covered quickly.

Lily sighed and pushed her dark red hair out of her face. "It's Noelle. Some Slytherins said something to her at dinner a little while ago, and she left. She just got up and walked out of the hall. She didn't even stop when I grabbed her arm. It was like she didn't even hear me!"

Lily was near tears and James put his arm around her in comfort. She turned her emerald eyes to Sirius, pleading with him.

"You know where she goes when she's upset, right? You need to find her Sirius!"

Sirius rubbed the back of his neck and swung his eyes away from Lily. "Aw, Lily, I don't know. Maybe she doesn't want to be found right now."

Lily stared at him, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. "Sirius, you have to be joking. You need to find her!" Lily's voice was going shrill with panic.

James held her tightly while she cried and looked up at his friend. "Padfoot, come on...at least try to find her."

Sirius sighed heavily. "Fine. I'll find her." He got to his feet and slowly made his way to the portrait hole. The only thing that kept him moving was the sniffles coming from Lily.

Once outside, he sniffed the fall air. It was heavy with the scent of wood burning fires and the spiciness of the leaves that had fallen to the ground from the trees. The deep navy sky glittered with stars scattered above his head with only a few wisps of silvery clouds floating over the crescent moon. He peered over the lawns, not seeing anything at all.

_Oh, this is ridiculous!_ He thought, whipping his wand out and muttering, "Lumos."

The tip of his wand flared a bright white and illuminated the grounds in front of him. He rapidly headed to the lakeshore, thinking that Noelle was in her usual hiding spot. Quick thinking told him to extinguish his wand, knowing that Noelle would see it and retreat further from him. The only problem with that was now he couldn't see anything. He quickly glanced around, making sure he was alone.

_"Canus majoris."_ He whispered, pointing his wand at himself.

Immediately, he was transformed into a large black dog. His eyesight instantly improved, helping him to see through the darkness. He bounded over the sharp rocks easily, thanks to his large paws. As he clambered around them, he spotted her crouched down between two enormous boulders.

Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her head rested on them. The wind blew her hair around her face wildly. She wearily lifted her head off her knees and gazed out at the lake. As her eyes traveled over the boulders, she spotted an enormous shaggy black dog perched on the top of one. She gasped and rubbed her eyes roughly. It was gone. Then she heard the sound of someone picking their way through the maze of boulders that led to her hiding place.

It was Sirius. She sighed.

"What are you doing here?"

He picked his way over the rocks to her side and searched for one that wasn't damp with the spray from the lake. Resigning himself to having wet robes, he sat on a cold rock. Noelle turned back to the lake and kept staring. After letting her gaze out over the lake for a few minutes, he lightly touched her shoulder. Surprised, she looked at him.

"What are you doing here?" she repeated.

Sirius glanced at her oddly. "You already asked me that."

She looked confused. "I did?"

Sirius nodded and Noelle shrugged.

"Oh...sorry."

Sirius was still looking at her funny. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Noelle questioned.

He shook his head. "I'm just looking at you. What happened?"

Noelle's navy eyes glazed over. She looked down. "I really do not want to talk about it."

Sirius sighed heavily and she looked up sharply. "Why do you care? You have been acting strangely toward me ever since we talked the first night we were back."

Her eyes searched his face, and then comprehension dawned on hers.

"You cannot let it go. You are thinking badly of me, because of an incident that happened far before I even met you."

She pushed herself to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest. "Am I to believe that you are completely innocent? Sirius, you may think I am naïve, but I am not stupid."

The guilty way that Sirius swung his eyes from hers told her all she needed to know.

She laughed bitterly. "How dare you judge me?" she spit out.

Although she was only 5'5", the way she seemed to tower over him was frightening. He felt like a little boy being scolded. He turned his shoulders in and wrapped his arms around his knees. She laughed again, this time crazily.

"You were right about one thing, Sirius. I was a fool. I was a fool to believe that you actually cared about me. I was a fool to think anyone ever cared about me."

At this he leapt to his feet and reached out to stop her from leaving.

"Don't touch me! Don't ever touch me again!" she screamed. She pulled the sleeve of her robes out of his fingers and scurried over the boulders back to the castle.

She hurried to the doors of the castle, surreptitiously wiping the tears off her cheeks. She reached for the handle just as it was flung open from the inside. She gasped, placing a hand over her heart. Severus stood on the other side.

"Oh, Noelle. I didn't know you were outside." He peered at her closely. "Is everything alright?"

She smiled quickly. "Of course. You just gave me a fright."

He grinned. "Sorry about that. I was just going to the greenhouse to get some asphodel for my Potions project. Want to come along?"

Noelle nodded gratefully and followed him to Greenhouse 4. He unlocked the door and pointed his wand at the lantern on the wall. He hurried to a vile looking dark red plant and began to pull seed pods off of it. Noelle wandered around the greenhouse. She had never been in this particular one; it housed the most poisonous plants.

"Don't touch any of them, especially if you're not wearing gloves." Severus warned. "The oils from most of these are enough to make you violently ill, just from touching them."

Noelle snatched her hand away from the plant she had been about to touch. He smiled at the disgust on her face.

"I'm all set, if you're ready to go." She nodded and followed him out of the greenhouse.

Once inside the castle, Severus studied her carefully. "Are you sure everything is alright, Noelle?" he asked, looking worried.

She smiled at him. "I am fine. Just very tired."

He nodded gravely. "Noelle, I'm really sorry about the way my housemates have been treating you."

Her eyes misted, but she quickly hid it. "It is not like I am not used to it. They can think what they want."

She tried to sound flip, but he heard the pain in her voice. Impulsively, Severus reached out and grabbed her in a tight hug.

"I'm here if you need to talk...anytime...you know that, right?"

Noelle returned his hug gratefully. "Thank you Severus. You do not know how much that means to me."

They broke apart and headed their separate ways, Noelle to the tower, and Severus to the dungeons.

"Keep your chin up, don't let the Gryffies get you down!" he called as he headed to his house.

Laughing loudly, she scampered up the staircase.

The common room was abandoned when she came through the portrait hole. Taking advantage of the chance to be alone, she grabbed a book off of the shelves and curled up on a couch near the fire. About 30 minutes later, she heard the sound of someone coming down the stairs. She hunkered down until she was nearly hidden by the high back of the couch and listened carefully. Whoever it was definitely didn't want to be heard. They weren't walking; they were creeping. And there was more than one of them.

"Ouch!" She heard someone exclaim.

"Shh!" another person hissed.

"I stubbed my toe!"

"Be quiet!"

Noelle peered over the top of the couch. James and Sirius were tiptoeing through the common room. Near the portrait hole, James reached into a bag and pulled out a silvery piece of fabric. Noelle silently gasped. James had an invisibility cloak. She stared on in shock as he shook it out and swung it over himself and Sirius. They disappeared, but Noelle still heard their voices.

"Hope we can control Moony tonight." She heard Sirius whisper.

James sighed, "Well, we'll find out soon."

The door creaked open, and she heard their footsteps shuffling out to the corridor.

She straightened her body until her feet hit the floor. What did they mean, control Moony? Who was Moony? She vaguely remembered hearing the name before, but for the life of her could not think of where and when she had heard it. And where were they going with an invisibility cloak this late at night? Her face twisted into an ironic smile. Seems like she wasn't the only one keeping secrets, she thought as she carefully placed a marker in her book and climbed the stairs to her dorm.


	8. Chapter 8 Trade Off

The next morning, she and Lily ambled to the Great Hall for breakfast. She hadn't told Lily anything of the night before, mainly because she wanted to find out for herself first. James and Sirius were already in the hall, looking extremely exhausted, but excitedly talking nonetheless. Noelle sat a good distance away, but cocked her ears to hear what they were saying.

"Did you see how I just jumped on him? And pulled him to the ground? Man, that was wicked!" Sirius whispered.

James nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, that was amazing. But did you see how I just chased him down? I thought for sure he would get away; he had such a head start!" James chortled. "But I caught him!"

The two boys exchanged high fives. As James returned to his toast, he saw Noelle gazing at him curiously.

"All right Lemieux?" he asked.

Noelle shook herself slightly and smiled brightly. "Of course. Just drifted off for a moment."

She kept smiling and James bought it. He turned back to Sirius and they resumed their clandestine discussion. Lily raised a red eyebrow.

"What was that all about?"

Noelle shrugged; feeling bad for not telling her friend what she had seen and heard last night. Lily gazed at her inquisitively, but kept eating. As Noelle sipped her coffee, she noticed someone missing.

"Where is Remus?" she whispered to Lily.

Lily's head came up and she too searched the hall.

"I don't know. Maybe he's sick?"

Noelle looked doubtful, but James had overheard her question.

"Remus has a cold...Madam Pomfrey wanted him in the hospital wing for a few days."

Lily took this at face value and returned to her breakfast, but the nervous look on James' face struck a nerve in her head.

As they made their way to Charms, it hit her like a bolt of lightning. She had heard someone say the name Moony before. It was in Cannes, at the nightclub. Sirius had called Remus Moony. What could that mean? She pondered it as she took her seat next to Lily and opened her textbook to the chapter on Conjuring Charms.

Throughout the entire class, Noelle half listened to Professor Flitwick describing the proper wand movement for these complicated charms. She knew that Lily was the best in their year at Charms, and she could always ask her for help if she needed it. The Charms class was a short period that day, and they had a ten minute break before they had to be in Defense against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs.

For the third class in a row, Professor Martin was going over hinkypunks. Noelle had had a thorough Defense against the Dark Arts class at Beauxbatons, and she was extremely bored. Her mind wandered back to the conversation she had overheard last night, and the one this morning. Idly, she flipped through the thick Defense textbook, not really reading anything.

She lifted her eyes away from her book and locked eyes with Laura Armstrong. Laura had seen Noelle come in with Lily, not Sirius as she had all year. Her brown eyes had lit up with hope, and Noelle almost laughed out loud. If Laura really wanted Sirius Black, she could have him.

The bell rang, causing her to jump. She stuffed her book back into her satchel and followed Lily out of the classroom. Noelle had a free period next, because she had already taken the highest level of Transfiguration that Hogwarts offered. She bid Lily goodbye and headed to Gryffindor tower to work on her Astronomy homework.

As she was settling down at a table in the back of the common room, she heard the portrait creak open, and someone stealthily shuffled into the room. She looked up. It was Remus, and he looked terrible. He was pale and shaky, and his face had smudges of dirt all over it.

"Remus! Are you alright?"

Noelle hurried to his side. He nodded weakly and stepped slightly away from her.

"Yes, I just had a really bad headache. Madam Pomfrey fixed me up."

He smiled faintly and hastily made his way to the boys' dormitory, with Noelle gazing suspiciously after him. I thought James said he had a cold, she mused. Shrugging to herself, she returned to her essay.

December brought some of the coldest weather that Noelle had ever felt. The castle seemed to be frozen; even the suits of armor didn't creak around like they usually did. The ghosts of the castle looked frostier than usual, if that was possible. The students had taken to wearing their cloaks all day long, but Noelle was still freezing. Her wool Beauxbatons cloak, which had seemed warm enough in Provence and last year at Hogwarts, was barely keeping her body warm enough to breathe. The next time we go to Hogsmeade, I will buy a new cloak, she promised herself. She had the chance the very next weekend.

She huddled close to Lily as they waited for Filch to check their names against the list of students who had permission to go to the village. Once they had passed his scrutinous glare, they sped down the path to the gates.

The village was coated in a thick layer of snow. It looked like a typical quaint English village in a Christmas card. Noelle made a beeline to Gladrags Wizardwear. Once inside, she shook the snow from her hair and insufficient cloak and began to peruse the racks of thick winter cloaks. One in particular caught her eye.

It was a deep hunter green summer weight wool cloak with a lining of emerald satin. It wasn't nearly warm enough to wear as an everyday cloak, and it was far too dressy. However, if she remembered correctly, she did have a set of hunter green dress robes that she had received for her birthday and not worn yet. She set the cloak aside and kept searching.

She found a cloak, very much like her own, only much warmer. She pulled it off the hanger and swung it over her shoulders. It fit her perfectly. She turned to Lily to get her opinion. The redhead had a doubtful look on her face.

"Why navy again? Don't you want a black one?"

Noelle slowly turned back to the mirror. She hadn't thought of that. It was time that she admitted that she was no longer at Beauxbatons. Reluctantly, she took the navy cloak off and reached for the one Lily held out.

"See? It's got a midnight blue lining." Lily said, turning the cloak inside out.

Satisfied, Noelle wrapped it around herself. It too, fit her perfectly. Sighing resolutely, she gathered the emerald cloak and the black one and headed to the sales witch. Lily leaned over and whispered to the sales witch, who nodded approvingly. Lily pointed her wand at the left side of the front of the cloak.

Instantly, the Hogwarts emblem began to embroider itself in full color. Noelle smiled at Lily, who hugged her quickly.

"It's about time we did that!"

Noelle pulled her new cloak on and instantly felt warmer. She glanced down at the emblem on her chest and smiled to herself.

Noelle and Lily slowly ambled down the village streets, exclaiming over the traditional Christmas decorations. High up on a hill, Noelle spotted a ramshackle house. Pointing, she asked Lily what it was. Lily involuntarily shuddered.

"That's the Shrieking Shack. It's supposedly very haunted."

Noelle started to walk closer to it, but Lily grabbed her arm.

"Didn't you hear me? It's haunted!"

Noelle scoffed at her and kept walking. As she approached the fence around the house, she heard an ungodly scream come from it. She froze, then spun and raced back down the hill, with Lily on her heels.

Noelle ran all the way back to the Hogwarts gates, where she collapsed against them, panting. She clutched her side as she waited for Lily to catch up. When Lily arrived, she too was out of breath.

"What...was...that?" she finally managed to ask.

Gulping air wildly, Noelle shook her head. "I do not know. It was not human, I know that."

Straightening up, she regained her composure. She tugged on the gate handle until the gate flew towards her. The girls walked up the path, much more slowly than before.

At the door, Noelle suddenly stopped. A look of understanding washed over her face. She looked at her watch, then swiveled her head to the darkening sky. A wide smile spread over her face and she tore up the stairs towards the tower.

"Noelle! Wait!" Lily groaned and started running again.

When she finally arrived in the common room, she found Noelle pouring through her Defense against the Dark Arts book, and checking something on a strange looking chart. She touched her friend on the shoulder and Noelle jumped a foot. She clapped her hand over her heart.

"Oh, Lily! I just remembered something I wanted to put in my Astronomy essay." Noelle lied.

Lily looked doubtful, so Noelle elaborated.

"I just did not want to forget it."

Lily seemed satisfied. "Hungry? Let's go to dinner."

Noelle shook her head. "You go. I am not hungry."

Lily shrugged. "Suit yourself. See you a bit."

Lily left the room. Noelle turned back to her papers and made a few notations. A knowing smile lit up her face and she put her quill down smugly.

Later that night, Noelle was curled up in her usual spot on the couch. She just wanted to see if her theory was correct. If it was, James and Sirius would be sneaking down the stairs any minute.

Sure enough, the sounds of two people creeping down the stairs soon came from the boys' dorm. She sank lower in her chair. She raised her head slightly, just in time to see James toss the cloak over himself and Sirius. She would bet any amount of money that they were heading for the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade.

After about ten minutes, she hurried to the window in time to see a giant bear-like black dog and an enormous silvery white stag bound across the grounds. Shaking her head, she turned away from the window and headed to her dormitory.

Two days later, Noelle was rushing through the corridor, intent on getting to the library to finish her Potions homework. Outside the doorway, she ran smack into Remus. Again, he looked pale and tired, but at least this time he wasn't covered in dirt.

"Noelle!" he said, as he crouched to pick up her bag.

"Bonjour Remus." She replied, reaching for her bag.

He didn't give it to her, and she looked at him questioningly.

"I have to talk to you." He said urgently.

A shiver or alarm ran through her body, but she covered it. "About what?" she asked, feigning innocence.

His light brown eyes locked directly on her navy ones.

"About your illness."

Her heart plummeted to her feet and stayed there. This was not what she had expected him to say. In shock, she stared at him, not able to speak.

"I know, Noelle. I know everything." He said quietly.

She started to back away from him, but he reached for her arm.

"Please...can we go somewhere and talk?"

What choice did she have? Bowing her head, she allowed him to lead her into an empty classroom.

He sat heavily on the first desk in the first row, and she perched on the corner of the dusty teachers table. Finally she met his eyes.

"How did you find out?" she said softly.

"Nicolette told me. Well, she let it slip actually. We were talking, about Beauxbatons, and she mentioned how happy you looked, and that it was quite a change from your last year at Beauxbatons. When I questioned her, she said that you had been really depressed after you had gotten sick."

Remus paused and Noelle waited for him to continue with baited breath.

"When I asked what kind of sick, she said that you had a problem with your lungs, and how bad your coughing could get...Noelle.....you have Cystic Fibrosis, don't you?"

A sob caught in her throat and she ducked her head. Wiping away the tears that escaped from her tightly shut eyelids, she managed to nod slightly.

"But....that means...."

She cut him off. "It means I am going to die, Remus." She said coldly. "It means I AM dying."

He shook his head in disbelief. "You can't be serious! You're..."

"Only sixteen?" She laughed bitterly. "Yes I know. I am not even old enough to drink, but apparently, I am old enough to die."

She was engulfed in a warm hug. Immediately, she relaxed into his comforting embrace and cried. She cried so hard that her stomach began to hurt. He rubbed her back and whispered soothingly into her ear.

"Noelle, I'm here for you. Nicolette didn't mean to tell me, I kind of just figured it out."

She slowly pulled away and swiped at her cheeks. "Well, as long as we are being so honest..." she trailed off.

His light brown eyebrows rose questioningly.

"I know about you too. I know you are a...well...I know you are a werewolf." She stage whispered the last word.

He turned slightly pale so she hastened to reassure him.

"I am not going to tell anyone, I promise."

He nodded slowly and grabbed the back of his neck with both hands as he paced the room.

He swung guilty eyes at her and said, "How did you figure out?"

She shrugged. I noticed you were absent on the full moon. And I overheard James and Sirius whispering about you. Well, they called you Moony, but I heard them call you that in Cannes."

She smiled at him again. "I really just stumbled over it in Defense against the Dark Arts."

He still looked nervous.

"Remus, I did not tell anyone. Not even Lily."

He looked skeptical. "Really?"

She nodded, and placed her hand over her heart. "I swear."

He relaxed.

"So...now I will keep your secret, as long as you keep mine. I do not want anyone here to know about my disease." She warned. "I especially do not want James, Lily and Sirius to know. It does not concern any of them, and I do not want them to treat me differently."

Remus nodded. He agreed about the way Noelle would be treated, but he didn't think it was fair of her not to tell the others, especially Sirius. Sirius loved her so much, and his stupid pride was the reason that Noelle wasn't talking to him. She had been chillingly accurate when she had called him out on his past.

Remus smiled to himself, thinking of the broken hearts that must be scattered around the castle after almost six years of seduction by Sirius.

"What is so funny?" Noelle asked him, snapping him back to the present.

"Nothing. Just thinking." Noelle raised a perfect blonde eyebrow.

"Anything else?" Remus quickly asked.

Noelle shook her head, and then said. "Actually yes. When you transform, do you go to the Shrieking Shack?"

Remus nodded slowly. Encouraged, Noelle went on.

"James and Sirius? Do they know? Do they go with you? Isn't that dangerous?" she fired at him.

He looked uncomfortable again. "Yes they know, but they do not come with me, its way too dangerous." He lied, hoping she believed him.

Again the blonde eyebrow rose. Dammit! How does she know all of it? he thought to himself. He sighed heavily.

"You just don't give up do you?" he said dejectedly.

She laughed and playfully punched him on the shoulder. He sighed again.

"I really don't know what to tell you, Noelle."

She eyed him critically, and then decided they had done enough bonding for the day.

"D'accord. I will let you off the hook."

He smiled in relief.

"One more thing...how is Nicolette?" she said innocently.

He turned beet red and lunged at her, tickling her ribs wildly. She shrieked with glee and fled the classroom, with Remus still attempting to tickle her.

She flew down the corridor with Remus in hot pursuit. She threw a quick glance over her shoulder and in that short time frame once again bumped into someone else. Sirius caught her before she fell to the ground.

The laughter died on her lips and she wrenched her arm out of his grasp. Turning sharply to Remus, she smiled.

"Thank you for your help, Remus."

Throwing one last glare at Sirius, she hurried away from the two boys.

"What was that all about?" Sirius grunted.

Remus took him by the elbow and leaned in to whispered furiously in his ear.

"Listen. Noelle knows. She knows everything. She knows I'm a werewolf, she knows that I stay in the Shrieking Shack when I transform. And she knows about you and James being Animagi."

Sirius froze in shock. "How?" he hissed.

Remus snorted. "Don't ask me, the girl is intuitive. However, I think she just has a suspicion of the Animagi. I didn't tell her it was true."

They kept walking down the corridor.

"Why did you tell her about you being a werewolf?"

Remus shifted his eyes away. "She figured it out and asked me. She caught me off guard."

Sirius looked at him out of the corner of his grey eyes. "Did she...uh...did she say anything about me?"

Remus lifted an eyebrow. "I thought you were done with her."

"Oh I am." Sirius hastened to say. "I was just wondering."

Remus chuckled. "Oh, well in that case. No she didn't."

He almost burst out laughing at the blatant disappointment on Sirius' face. He slung his arm around his friend's shoulder.

"Cheer up Padfoot. After all, she's just another girl, right?"

Remus said slyly, clapping his hand over Sirius' shoulder and walking into the Great Hall, leaving Sirius sputtering excuses behind him.


	9. Chapter 9 Merry Christmas?

As the Christmas holidays approached, Noelle began to get nervous. She didn't really feel like staying at the castle, and she sure couldn't go home.

Before they had left James' house for Hogwarts in September, Mrs. Potter had hugged her extra tight and said, "You always have a home here, Noelle. Always."

With tears in her eyes, she had returned the hug. But now, since her and Sirius were not speaking, she didn't think she was welcome. Lily was going to visit family in Ireland, and her parents had surprised her with it, so she had no time to ask if Noelle could come home with her. So Noelle had resigned herself to staying in the cold drafty castle, along with most of the students that had been harassing her. She laughed to herself, thinking how ironic it was. These people were making fun of her, and yet they too had no place to go for the holidays.

Two days before school recessed, she was heading back to Gryffindor tower from the library. Just as she reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, James came hurrying up the stairs.

"Noelle! Hold the door, eh?"

She held the door wide as he turned his Cleansweep Eleven lengthwise so it would fit inside.

"Thanks." he said breathlessly.

He leaned the broomstick against the wall in the corner. She was halfway up the stairs when he called her name. She peeked over the railing of the balcony.

"Mom is meeting us on Platform 9 ¾ on Friday, ok?"

She blankly stared at him, and then slowly walked back down the stairs.

"I cannot come to your house James. It is not fair to you or to Sirius. He is your friend, and he always stays with you."

James laughed. "Noelle, what did my mother tell you? My home is your home now, for as long as you need it. And don't worry about him. His family is insisting that he go home this Christmas, for a change."

He looked angry, which Noelle suspected was in sympathy for his friend.

"He really does not get along with them, does he?" she asked.

James shook his head with another laugh. "Sirius is unlike anyone in his family. The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin, did you know that?"

Surprised, Noelle shook her head.

"Yeah. His father was humiliated when he was sorted into Gryffindor. His little brother is in Slytherin too. He's a second year."

Again Noelle was surprised. "I did not know he had a little brother." She said incredulously.

"Yup and he's a little prat. Sirius isn't too keen on reminding people that Regulus is his brother."

James leaned forward conspiratorially and Noelle strained to hear him.

"His family is into what you would probably call Dark Magic. Not a thing to be real proud of."

Noelle gasped and covered her mouth.

"They rarely even want him around, not like he ever wants to be there."

Noelle eyed him suspiciously. "James, why are you telling me this?"

James sighed and leaned back against the couch. He swiped a hand through his unruly black hair, making it even messier.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't be so hard on him. You know he cares for you, right?"

Noelle nodded slightly. "I thought he did."

James leaned forward and stared her right in the eye. "He does. His entire life, he's never had someone that has cared for him the way you do, and he's never had anyone to care about. He loves you, Noelle, and that scares the stuffing out of him."

Noelle's navy eyes softened and she chose her next words carefully. "James, I understand what you are trying to do. Sirius cannot accept the fact that I had a life before I met him. I cannot change the past. If I could change what happened, I would, but I cannot."

The tears that had been threatening to fall spilled over onto her cheeks. "He is not the only one who had a family where he was treated different. I love him, but sometimes love is not enough. There must be trust and understanding, as well as love and compassion, and he does not know how to trust, not even me."

She bowed her head and James put his arm around her shoulders.

"All I ask is that you don't block him out of your life. Give him some time, Noelle, and he will realize how much he needs you."

She laughed. "Sirius Black? Admit that he needs someone? I have a better chance of reconciling with my parents."

James laughed in spite of himself. "Well, you'll have plenty of time to think about it over the holiday. At my house." He said firmly, with no room left for discussion.

"James Potter, you are a pain in the..."She sighed in fake exasperation."Alright, fine. I will go to your house." She winked at him. "I did not really want to stay here anyway."

He laughed heartily. "Remind me not to let Lily teach you any more British expressions, okay?"

The train ride back to London passed uneventfully. On the platform, Lily hugged Noelle and told her to have fun.

Noelle returned the hug tightly and whispered into Lily's ear, "Try not to hex Petunia too many times, alright?"

Lily laughed and hurried towards the train leaving for Yorkshire. James loaded his and Noelle's trunks onto a trolley and pushed it towards the Manchester train. They managed to find an empty car and quickly pulled off their Hogwarts' robes.

Noelle tugged awkwardly at the scarlet and gold tie around her neck until it loosened, then smoothed her gray skirt under her legs before she sat down. She reached into her carryon to find a book, and settled comfortably in for the ride to James' house.

A few hours later, she nudged a sleeping James sharply. Peering out the window, she could see Mrs. Potter waiting anxiously on the platform. As they dragged their trunks down the stairs, she gave a shout and waved her arm over her head. Mrs. Potter hugged them both and hurried them off to the warm car.

Inside the car, Noelle breathed on her hands to warm them up. The ride passed quickly, and soon enough, the car was pulling up to the sprawling Potter estate. Noelle hauled her trunk to the same room she had shared with Lily last Christmas. She unpacked slowly, hanging her robes in the tall wardrobe.

James poked his head into the room. "How are you doing? Okay?"

Noelle smiled and nodded.

"Can I come in for a bit?"

Noelle nodded and gestured to a chaise near the bed. She kept hanging her clothes in the wardrobe while he sat there.

"Did you need something?" she finally asked him.

James nodded. "I kind of wanted to talk to you...about what happened at the welcoming feast."

A chill ran through her body, and she slowly turned to face him.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but it might help." He said sympathetically.

Noelle studied her shoe, and then walked over to the bed. She sat carefully, twisting her hands in her lap. "What do you want to know?" she said, with defeat in her voice.

Surprised, James didn't even know where to begin. He couldn't believe that she was actually going to talk to him.

"What happened? What was that all about?" he asked softly.

Noelle took a deep breath before she spoke. "I met Olivier the first night I came to Beauxbatons. I fell in love with him the moment I saw him. He was older than me, already in his third year, and I was just a first year. I never imagined he would even look twice at me. He has a younger brother, who is only a year older than I. His name is Antoine; we became very good friends. Antoine knew that I had a crush on his brother, and he teased me all the time. I was assigned a tutor, because I was falling behind in Defense against the Dark Arts. Just my luck, my tutor was Olivier. In my third year, I fell even more in love with him, if that was possible."

Noelle lifted her navy eyes to meet James'. "One night, he confessed to me that he had feelings for me as well. I was shocked. I could not believe he felt the same way. We began to see each other, secretly of course. Soon enough, everyone knew that we were together. I thought my parents would be furious, but Olivier is from a well respected family, so naturally, they approved. I loved him so much. One night I made a mistake."

Tears clogged her voice now, but she struggled through them. "I was very upset, and very emotional. I cried for hours. He tried so hard to make me feel better, but nothing worked. We promised we would not tell anyone, and he broke that promise. He told Colin at the Ball, probably to get back at me for being with Sirius."

She wiped her tears away, and James reached for her hand.

"Noelle, he's horrible for having done that to you. That's inexcusable. But know this. Not all of us are as insensitive as that."

Noelle laughed in spite of herself. "I know that James. It is just that I never dreamed that anyone at Hogwarts would find out."

She rubbed her arms nervously. "I did not want anyone to think badly of me."

"No one thinks badly of you, Noelle. Not even Sirius. And who cares if the Slytherins do? Look at most of them, it's a miracle they can even put two and two together and find their way around the castle."

Noelle burst out laughing and James cracked a wry smile.

"That's more like it. You should smile more, your whole face lights up when you do."

Noelle put her hand on her hip and struck a mocking pose. "James Potter, are you giving me a compliment?"

James playfully punched her in the arm. "Don't get used to it, Lemieux."

Christmas was definitely one of the best Noelle had ever had. She finally had a chance to wear the hunter green cloak she had bought at Hogsmeade to the elaborate dinner the Potters held.

With James as an escort, Noelle had sailed into the party, looking more like herself than she had in months. As they were sitting down to dinner, Noelle leaned over to James.

"Well, once you get your crazy hair calmed down, you actually clean up pretty nice."

James guffawed. "Oh and it's wonderful to see you with your head actually facing forward, and not staring up at the sky."

Noelle's jaw dropped. "James, I did not know you owned anything other that Quidditch robes." She shot back.

He laughed again while his parents shook their heads.

Elizabeth Potter leaned over toward her husband.

"You see Charlie? James really doesn't need a sibling. Now he has Noelle."

Charles Potter laughed uproariously. "And at least this year, we won't have to keep sending the house elves back into the kitchen for more food, since Sirius isn't here."

His face turned serious for a moment. "Have you talked to Sirius, James?"

James shook his head. "Nope. I sent him an owl, but never got an answer."

A flicker of panic traveled across Noelle's heart. While the adults resumed their conversation, she whispered to James, "Do you think he is alright? It's not like him not to answer."

James swallowed some wine. "I'm sure he's fine."

The nervous look on his face did nothing to calm her fears.

The food was absolutely scrumptious, and she ate more than she had ever thought she could hold. After dinner, there was dancing in the ballroom. James twirled her around, and she felt heavy on her feet.

"I ate way too much." She groaned as he pulled her back from a spin.

"Oh yes, Noelle. You shouldn't eat for the rest of the week. Lord knows you're too heavy as it is." He teased.

She playfully gave him a shove before returning to his arms. "You know what I meant, James!"

Outside in the snow, Sirius peered into the steamed windows of the Potter house. He was shivering violently. He blinked sharply; his eyes were stinging from the icy air. This fight with his family had been the worst he could ever remember. His brother Regulus had been moaning about how embarrassing it was to have a brother in Gryffindor, and his parents had agreed, causing Sirius to explode at the dinner table. His father had thrown a tankard of ale across the table, and it had struck the side of his head.

He lightly touched the bloody gash. The pain was unbelievable and stars swam in front of his eyes. He wiped the foggy glass in front of him and looked in the room again. He saw Noelle floating across the dance floor in the arms of his best friend. She looked like an angel. He ducked his head to try to stop the tears from falling. He had really screwed up this time. Noelle believed in him, she believed that he could do anything he put his mind to, and he had pushed her away from him.

He stumbled along the side of the house, every once and a while steadying himself against the cold stone. On the front stairs, he reached for the chimes. He never made it. Instead his body collapsed on the marble stoop.

About two hours later, when James' aunt and uncle were leaving, they opened the door to discover an unconscious Sirius on the stairs. James' aunt screamed and the others came running. Once Noelle saw who it was, she began to shake uncontrollably. She sank to her knees, the cold marble seeping through the thin silk of her dress robes. She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her lips.

"Sirius, can you hear me? Wake up Sirius."

Tears flowed from her eyes, and she gasped when she saw the blood through his dark hair. James and his father quickly picked Sirius up and carried him inside. Noelle pushed through everyone and took his to his side again. She smoothed his hair away from his face and studied the cut. It was wide and deep. She gently pressed a clean cloth to it, and his grey eyes opened a little bit. She smiled at him and he gave her a weak one in return. He licked his lips and opened his mouth.

"Shh, do not try to talk yet." She whispered to him.

He shook his head. "Noelle, I need to say this now. I am so sorry. I love you, and you didn't deserve the way I treated you. I'm sorry. I need you."

She leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I forgive you." She said simply.

He raised his eyebrows, even though it hurt like hell. "Just like that?"

She nodded. "Oui. Just like that."

He shook his head slightly. "I do not deserve you, Noelle."

She pretended to think very hard. "Non, you do not. But you are lucky that I love you." She teased.

He smiled while James' mother lightly spread a thick potion over the wound. A few seconds later, when it began to work, he winced and squeezed Noelle's hand. James came back into the room carrying a heavy blanket which he tossed over his friend.

"What happened, Padfoot?"

Sirius shook his head slowly again. "I'll tell you later."

Once they had Sirius comfortably situated in James' room, Noelle sat on the edge of his bed while he told James the events of the night. James paced the room, and when Sirius quietly told them how his father had chucked a tankard across the table, James' head came up sharply. The fury in his eyes was terrifying. Sirius was clutching Noelle's hand so tightly that she felt her fingers going slightly numb.

"Prongs, it could have been worse. It only glanced off. I'm fine."

Noelle looked down at him incredulously. "Sirius, he could have killed you."

Sirius smiled wryly. "Nah, I'm tough."

Noelle snorted. "Oh yes, very tough. You are not the only one with horrible parents, you know. It is alright to admit that you were scared."

The three friends discussed the subject until Noelle noticed Sirius' eyelids starting to droop.

"I think we should go to bed. It is late, and I know I need sleep."

James nodded and ran his hands through his unruly black hair.

"I'll see you in the morning, okay Noelle?"

She nodded and James went into the bathroom to wash up before he went to bed. Noelle gracefully rose from the bed, and then leaned down to kiss Sirius good night. When their lips touched, all of the old feelings came rushing back, washing over her in waves. It was torture pulling away from him. He gazed at her seductively.

"Sure you don't want to stay with me tonight?" Noelle laughed. "It would be a very romantic night, non? With James across the room?"

Sirius winked at her and she laughed again. "As much as the offer tempts me, I must respectfully decline. I shall see you in the morning, alright?"

Sirius pouted and Noelle pinched his leg gently.

"Okay, okay. I'll see you in the morning."

At the door, Noelle turned to look at him one last time. She could feel the desire emanating from his pale grey eyes, and she had to fight not to rush back to his bed. She smiled once more.

"Good night, Sirius. Je t'adore."

With happiness in her heart and lightness back in her step, she hurried back to her room.


	10. Chapter 10 Sick Again

The holidays passed much too quickly in Noelle's mind. All too soon, they were once again madly racing down the platform on the Muggle side at King's Cross.

"Why do we always cut this so damn close?" James grumbled.

Noelle ran directly through the barrier, not caring who saw her. On the other side, the first person she spotted was Lily.

"Lily!" she cried happily as she rushed to her friend's side.

The two girls hugged tightly while the boys caught up. Sirius, who still had a bandage on his head, hugged Lily before dropping an arm loosely around Noelle's shoulders. Lily raised an eyebrow suggestively as her friend snuggled closer to the tall boy.

"Sirius, what happened to your head?" she questioned instead of teasing her friend.

"Noelle can tell you later if you want. I'm sick of talking about it."

They climbed the stairs onto the train and settled in for the long ride back to school.

Classes started the next day, with the teachers' intent on making up for lost time. Noelle grunted as she heaved her bag onto the table in the Gryffindor common room.

"Seriously, you would never know that we are not taking our N.E.W.T.s until next year. These teachers are killing me with this work load!"

She pretended to strangle herself while Lily laughed.

"Well, at least things are back to normal with you and Sirius, right?"

Noelle snorted as she took out her Potions book.

"Normal? Sirius and I will never have a normal relationship. We are both physically and mentally incapable of it. But I guess that we are as good as we can be, which is fine with me."

She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Lily pretended to be shocked while she lightly smacked her friend on the arm.

"Noelle! I can't believe you!"

Noelle plopped down on the chair next to Lily.

"I was only joking Lily. Anyways, when are you finally going to admit to yourself how much you like James? He really is a sweet guy you know."

Lily turned bright red, but kept her eyes on her parchment.

"There's a Quidditch game on Saturday. Do you want to go?"

Noelle's this eyebrows shot up. "Are you trying to change the subject, my friend?" she teased.

Lily turned even redder.

"I am not discussing this with you Noelle."

Noelle persisted. "Come on Lily! You know practically everything about Sirius and me! Why can't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" James' voice interrupted the girls' conversation.

They both jumped and sat back guiltily. James' eyes went from Noelle to Lily and back to Noelle.

"It is nothing. We were just talking about how the teachers are piling on the work lately." Noelle lied.

James kept eyeing her, but she kept her gaze steady, until someone tickled her ribs. She squealed and spun in her seat. Sirius planted a kiss on top of her head before he sat next to her.

"What's up?" he said, slightly out of breath.

She shook her head with a smile. "Not much. How was Transfiguration today?"

He grabbed the back of his neck and stared at the ceiling.

"It was alright. I'm kind of having trouble with Switching Spells, though."

He rolled his grey eyes, and then locked them on her navy ones.

"Feeling hospitable today?" he said hopefully.

Noelle raised a blonde eyebrow.

"Is Sirius Black asking for help?" she said mockingly.

He pushed his chair back so it was balanced on its rear legs. He sighed.

"Yes Noelle. I am asking you for help. Please?" He stuck out his lower lip.

Noelle laughed. "How can I resist that face?" she joked, leaning forward to kiss him.

"Gross, guys. Get a room." James said with fake disgust.

Inwardly he was relieved that his friends had reconciled. Sirius and Noelle were a pair that worked much better together than apart.

Sirius looked at his friend, "I have one, upstairs, but I share it with you. So, no matter what, you can't escape it."

James threw him a reproachful glare while the girls laughed.

"Feel like a stroll to the Owlery? I need to send Nicolette a letter." Noelle asked him as she stuffed her books back into her bag.

Sirius nodded agreeably and hand in hand, they left the common room.

Before she crawled through the portrait hole, Noelle mouthed, "Go get him!" to Lily.

Lily turned a violent shade of red, and Noelle laughed heartily as she left the room ahead of Sirius.

The drafts coming through the hallways made her shiver. She edged closer to Sirius and laced her cold fingers through his. He gazed down at the small girl with a smile on his face. She looked up and saw it.

"What is that smile for?" she said playfully.

"It's for how much I love you and how you love me back, even though I drive you totally insane."

Noelle mused over this. "Oui, this is true. You do drive me insane."

She stood on her tiptoes and slid her arms around his neck. She pressed her cold lips to his and kissed him gently.

"But it is also true that I love you."

He kissed her back deeply. They stood in the shadows of the corridor kissing until the sounds of someone shuffling down the corridor broke them apart. Professor Dumbledore raised a knowing eyebrow as he passed the infatuated couple and smiled to himself.

When Noelle spotted Dumbledore, she quickly broke away from Sirius and ducked her red face. Once they had passed him, Noelle covered her eyes.

"Oh, I am so embarrassed!"

Sirius laughed. "Come on, Noelle, like he's never seen his students kiss before."

Noelle whacked him in the arm and pushed open the door to the Owlery.

She whistled for Etoile and he soared down to her shoulder. She fastened the letter to his scaly leg and carried him to the window. He hooted softly and flew off into the bright blue sky. She watched him for a moment and then turned back to Sirius.

Taking both his hands into her own, she rose on her tiptoes to kiss him. He kissed her back soundly. He pulled away and gazed into her eyes.

"Noelle, I'm so sorry about the way I have treated you. I can't believe that you even speak to me anymore."

He bowed his head shamefully and Noelle laughed gently.

"Sirius, I tried to stay mad at you, I really did. But it was like being mad at me."

She lifted his chin with a finger and her navy eyes twinkled.

"Stop apologizing. All I want from you is for you to be the man I know you can be. He is in there somewhere, but every so often, this little boy pushes him aside."

Her hand went to his dark hair and she ran her fingers through it.

"Besides, I love you." She said simply.

She cupped his face in her hands, feeling the slight stubble on his cheeks, and kissed him again. He tightened his arms around her and practically swept her off her feet. She clutched at his back as their kisses became deeper and more passionate. A moan escaped her lips and she pressed her body into his unknowingly.

Sirius groaned and reluctantly pulled away from her, steadying her on her feet.

"What is it?" she whispered, her hot breath on his face.

"Noelle, I really don't think that the Owlery is where I want to seduce you for the first time."

She raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I am seducible?" she teased.

He reached for her again and kissed her on the neck. Her head fell back, and she moaned again. Tilting her head so that she faced him, he pressed his lips to her ear.

"That makes me think that you are seducible."

She blushed and fanned her hot face.

"Oui, you are probably right...but it is romantic, n'est-ce pas?"

He laughed. "Romantic? Noelle, you haven't seen romantic yet."

She touched his face again. "I love you Sirius Black." She said clearly, her eyes locked on his.

His grey eyes grew bright as he pulled her in for another kiss.

The quidditch game had a massive turnout, as usual. Sirius had avoided going to all of the other games because it killed him knowing he wasn't out there with his team. Noelle and Lily had managed to drag him to the match against Hufflepuff.

It was a bitterly cold day and the snow was coming down heavily. He had tried to convince the girls that it was too nasty outside to go to the game, but they had both insisted. Slowly, he climbed the stairs behind Noelle and sat sullenly next to her. She shot him a glance and he gave her a weak smile. She touched his hand.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded. "I'll be fine."

Madame Hooch blew her whistle and the game began.

Ten minutes later, the game was over.

"Seriously, I don't even know why Hufflepuff tries. Every team blows them away, every game." Sirius said as he left the stands.

James had had an amazing game. He had managed to put the quaffle through the hoops six times before Adam had caught the snitch. James had flown around the pitch, waving and pumping his fist in the air after the game.

When he had passed Lily, he had bowed dramatically to her. She turned beet red and her green eyes had sparkled. She had clapped so hard for him, her hands were stinging. She had a wide smile on her face as she followed her friends back to the castle.

Noelle and Sirius were walking ahead of her with their heads close together. Noelle dropped back from Sirius and joined Lily.

"So, Lily...James had a good game, non?"

Still blushing, Lily nodded. Noelle put her arm around her.

"And we have you to thank for that lovely win!"

Lily's jaw dropped. "Me? What did I do?" she sputtered.

Noelle winked at her. "Lily, you put the life in that boy."

She squeezed her friend's shoulder and hurried back to Sirius, tossing a bright smile back at Lily over her shoulder.

Back in the common room, Noelle quickly claimed the couch by the fire. Sirius joined her and she laid her head on his lap. Idly he twirled her silky hair around his fingers while they waited for the team to get back so they could celebrate. Noelle yawned and snuggled closer to him. He reached over the back of the couch and tugged a thick blanket over her legs. She smiled sleepily at him and drifted off to sleep.

Three hours later, her eyelids finally lifted. She felt groggy and her mind was fuzzy. She lifted her head slowly and tried to focus her eyes on something. Sirius felt her stir and gently brushed her hair away from her face. She looked at him, slightly confused.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked her worriedly.

Her face was very white, but her cheeks were crimson. Her eyes looked eerily bright as well. He touched her forehead briefly. It was white hot.

"Noelle, you're burning up!" he exclaimed.

She nodded, still looking confused. "Je suis malade." (I'm sick) She whispered.

He nodded with concern. "Oui, Je sais." He said back to her.

"Je dois mon lit...maintenant." (I need my bed...now.) she whispered again.

She didn't seem to want to speak English, so he didn't push her.

"No, you need the hospital wing. I'll bring you."

Weakly, she tried to protest, but finally gave in. With the party still roaring around them, she struggled to get to her feet. She fell back to the couch. Her navy eyes looked at him with panic building in them. Swiftly, he picked her up and headed for the portrait hole.

The heat from her body seeped through her robes and he could feel it coming into his. She had fallen asleep almost immediately after leaving Gryffindor tower. He rushed through the corridors as quickly as he dared, arriving at the hospital wing within a few minutes. Madam Pomfrey heard him come in and rushed out of her office.

"What's wrong?" she asked, seeing Noelle curled in his arms.

She hurriedly turned down a bed. He laid her down on the bed she had gestured to.

"I don't know. We were at the game earlier, and she was fine. When we got back to the room, she lay down and fell asleep. She woke up about three hours later, and she had a really high fever. She seems disorientated, like she doesn't know what's going on, or where she is."

He ran his hand through his dark hair.

"What's wrong with her?"

Madam Pomfrey gently shook Noelle. Her blue eyes opened slightly and she gazed blearily around the room. Madam Pomfrey poured some potion into her mouth and Noelle's flushed face immediately began to look better. She stirred slightly on the bed, but she looked much more comfortable than she had. Madam Pomfrey seemed satisfied by this and shooed him off to bed.

"But I want to stay here with her." He pleaded.

"She will sleep until morning. You can come back then."

Reluctantly, Sirius headed back to the tower.

Madam Pomfrey watched him leave. Once she was sure he had gone, she quickly turned back to her patient. Noelle had a very bad cold, maybe even influenza. With her disease, it could be life threatening. She hurried to the fireplace and called for Professor Dumbledore.

Within minutes, he had come rushing out of the flames.

"What is it?" he asked her.

Wringing her hands, she replied. "It's Noelle Lemieux. Sirius Black just brought her here. Take a look."

Anxiously, Dumbledore leaned over Noelle's sleeping form. Her breathing was ragged and shallow; her face glistened slightly with perspiration. He drew back from her.

"Call a St. Mungo's healer, right away."

The healer arrived within the hour and rushed right to her bed.

"It is bad...but I do believe she will recover. She needs rest, and strengthening potions."

The healer tiredly wiped his face. Dumbledore nodded and led the man to his office for a cool drink. Madam Pomfrey bent over Noelle and adjusted her blankets around her. Then she lowered the lamp and left the room.

The next day, Noelle awoke to the weak sun touching her face. She opened her eyes and looked around. Why was she in the hospital wing? She tried to sit up, but the effort exhausted her. Madam Pomfrey heard her struggling and came into the room.

"Noelle! You should not be trying to get up! Lay back down!"

Noelle grudgingly lay back against the pillows.

"There. That's better." Madam Pomfrey crossed her arms over her chest satisfactorily. "Oh good. Here comes Severus with your potion."

The blood drained from Noelle's face as Severus carefully walked into the room, carrying a steaming goblet of potion. His eyebrows shot up with surprise when he saw her lying in the bed, but he didn't say anything. He held out the goblet and Noelle took it gingerly. Raising it to her lips, she choked it down in one gulp. Making a horrid face, she held it out to him. Madam Pomfrey left to attend to a third year Ravenclaw who had cut himself in Herbology, leaving Noelle alone with Severus. He sat on a chair next to her bed.

"Feel like telling me why you needed such a powerful Strengthening potion?" he asked.

Noelle started to shake her head, then stopped. She was sick of hiding things.

"I'm very sick Severus. I have Cystic Fibrosis. I have a cold, and if I don't watch it, it could kill me." She stated bluntly, staring at her hands.

Severus reached for her right hand and squeezed it.

"Noelle...I had no idea."

She laughed bitterly. "No one has any idea. I have not even told Sirius."

Severus looked flattered that she had told him before telling Black.

"Please Severus. Do not tell anyone. Please." She begged him, her navy eyes wide.

He shook his head. "I won't. I promise."

She visibly relaxed. "Thank you."

She yawned again, and he stood.

"I will let you get some sleep. I'll be back later with more potions."

She nodded, and drifted off again.

Severus hurried down the corridor, rushing to make his class. Everything seemed to fit together now. Noelle had always been secretive, but he never imagined she was hiding something like this. Noelle had been his friend since the day she had arrived at Hogwarts, and he was willing to keep her secret for as long as he had to.

Noelle stirred restlessly under the covers. Sirius, who had been sitting with his head in his hands, quickly looked up. Reaching for her hand, he brought it to his lips. Her eyelids rose and she hazily focused on him.

"Hi." She said softly.

Relief washed over him. "How are you feeling?" he asked concernedly.

She made a face. "I feel gross. Very tired and stuffy." She yawned widely.

"What does Madam Pomfrey think you have?"

Noelle swallowed nervously. "I have a cold. It is nothing." she lied, crossing her fingers under the blankets.

Sirius bought it.

"Oh, you'll be fine."

He gently brushed hair off of her face. She closed her eyes when he touched her skin. She brushed her lips over his hand. He smiled lovingly at her and brought his lips to hers.

"I need to go work on my History of Magic essay. I'll be back in a few hours, okay?"

She nodded and he kissed her again.

"Love you." He tossed over his shoulder as he hurried out of the hospital wing.

Once he was gone, Noelle sank back into the pillows. She knew she had to tell Sirius someday, sooner than later. She couldn't bear to tell him that she was dying.


	11. Chapter 11 The Dreads

The next day, Noelle was still not feeling that much better. She was restless and bored. Madam Pomfrey fussed over her like a mother hen. Finally, Noelle was by herself. She checked her watch. Severus should be coming in soon with her afternoon potion.

Right on cue, he walked in, slowly as not to spill the contents of the goblet. He set it carefully on her bedside table, and then sat on the chair next to her bad. She reached for and took a swallow.

Making a face, she said, "Ugh. This stuff is terrible."

Severus chuckled. "I'm sorry you don't think much of my potion making."

She laughed. "You know what I meant."

She took another swallow.

"Feel like talking a little?" he asked.

She stared at her hands. "I do not know what you want me to tell you Severus. I told you yesterday, and that is all." Noelle murmured.

Severus leaned over and hunched his shoulders.

"Noelle, I imagine that your parents took you to a Muggle hospital when you were diagnosed, right?"

She slowly nodded. "Well, we wizards know things that Muggles don't. I think I have an idea about a potion that might help you."

Noelle raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Severus, I know you are a wonderful potion maker. But the best healers are baffled by my case. There is nothing I can do except wait."

Severus smiled slyly. "Yes, but I know something they do not. Essence of the root of the wormwood plant. It's a natural decongestant, but not many people know about it."

She gazed at him with a puzzled look. He shrugged.

"I had a really bad cold last year. I was mixing a potion, and I coughed. My hand slipped and a half flask of the oil poured into my cauldron. The steam that rose went right into my lungs. Instantly, I felt better. I could breath, and my coughing stopped. So I wrote down exactly what was in the potion. Every time I get a cold, I make it, and it goes away."

Noelle laughed a little. "Oui, but Severus, this is not a cold. It's a disease."

He shook his head impatiently. "I know that, Noelle. But with the right ingredients, and some experiments, I think I could make a potion that would at least allow you to live a more normal life."

He grabbed her hand. "If I made it, would you be willing to try it?"

His dark eyes shone with hope. Noelle nodded.

"Of course I would be willing to try it. I would try anything at this point."

He relaxed and sat back, a genuine smile on his face.

"Noelle, I promise you. I will find something to make you better. I swear."

The determination on his face warmed her heart. She lifted her hand and touched his cheek.

"Thank you Severus. You do not know who much that means to me."

In the hallway, Sirius heard Noelle's last words. What the hell was she doing, talking to Snape like that? He knew she was friends with him, but he had just heard real affection in his girlfriend's voice. And Snape! What was he talking about, something to make her better? Noelle wasn't Snape's responsibility, she was his responsibility! He clenched his fingers angrily. He peered around the doorway, just in time to see Noelle embrace Snape. Rage like he had never known before built up in his soul. With his blood boiling, he entered the room.

"Sirius!" Noelle exclaimed, with the happiness to see him apparent in her voice.

Her smile instantly made him feel better. She loved him, and not Snape, that much was easy to see. He berated himself for thinking otherwise. Leaning down, he kissed her deeply, causing Snape to shift his weight uncomfortably.

"Oh, Snape, I forgot you were still here." Sirius said innocently.

Severus gritted his teeth. "I was just leaving. Noelle, I'll talk to you later."

She smiled sweetly and nodded.

"Bye now." Sirius said.

_I'll deal with you later_, he thought to himself as Snape left.

Turning his attention back to Noelle, he took the seat that Snape had just vacated.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I feel much better. Severus has made me some Strengthening potion, and it has worked very well." She said.

Even as she spoke, her voice was much stronger than the day before.

"I would like to see if Madam Pomfrey will let me leave later today."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You don't want to get sick again."

Noelle rolled her eyes. "Sirius, I feel fine! I promise!"

He still looked doubtful. So she pouted. Finally he relented.

"Fine. I'll go get her."

He heaved himself off of the chair and strode to her office.

She came bustling out.

"What is he going on about; you want to go back to the tower? You're not strong enough yet!"

Noelle met her eye, warning her not to say too much.

"Tommorow, Noelle. Is that reasonable?"

Reluctantly, Noelle agreed. Sirius cleared his throat.

"Would you like me to bring you some of your textbooks, so you can catch up?"

Noelle groaned. "I do not even want to think about how much work I have missed."

Sirius chuckled. "You'll be fine, it's not that much."

She nodded. "Très bien. Thank you Sirius."

She yawned delicately.

"Do you want me to leave you to sleep?" he asked.

Yawning again, she nodded. "Are you upset that we did not have a long visit?" she asked.

He was quick to shake his head. "Not at all. I'll be back in the morning to walk you to breakfast, okay?"

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, watching his broad shoulders leave the room.

In a way, Sirius was sort of glad that Noelle was staying the night in the hospital wing. This was the full moon, and since Remus had told him that she knew about them, he felt awkward around her at the full moon. It had taken him and James the better part of the last two years to become Animagi, and the end results were well worth it. He remembered the look on Remus' face when they had told him that they had accomplished it. It had brought the three friends even closer together, if that were possible. Granted, it wasn't always easy, keeping Remus in control, but thankfully he and James could almost always manage it. Slapping his hands together in excitement, he rushed back to the tower.

Later that night, as he and James carefully sneaked out of the castle, he felt a slight tremor of panic. Thinking it was just nerves, he shrugged it off. Pointing his wand at his chest, he transformed into the large black dog. Beside him, James had already turned into an enormous white stag. He reared up on his hind legs and galloped across the yard with Sirius close on his heels.

Up in the Astronomy tower, a few Hufflepuffs were trying to finish their star charts before the next day's class. A short, pudgy boy with scruffy blonde hair reached around his telescope to jot down a note. As he lifted his head back to the eyepiece, he pushed it out of focus.

Clumsily, he tried to maneuver the instrument back to its proper position, but it was stuck facing the grounds. He peered through the viewfinder and saw movement on the grounds. Sharpening the focus, he realized who it was. James Potter was charging across the lawn with Sirius Black at his heels. What were they doing out of bed so late? He wondered to himself. Professor Sinistra had had to agree to chaperone the small group of Hufflepuffs. Just then, James and Sirius both disappeared, leaving in their places two very large, very different animals. With a cry of shock, Peter Pettigrew jumped back from his telescope, hardly believing what he had just seen.

The next morning, Noelle stretched luxuriously in her hospital bed. The early morning sunshine warmed her face and she smiled widely. Today Madam Pomfrey was allowing her to go back to the tower and resume her classes. She reached for the pitcher of water on her bedside table and poured herself a glass.

Slowly getting to her feet, she pulled her robes off of the bedside chair and tugged them over her pajamas. She stuffed her feet into her shoes and padded to Madam Pomfrey's office. She looked up when she heard Noelle at the door.

Sighing heavily, she said, "Yes, yes, child. You may leave." She shook her head in frustration. Noelle laughed and swept out of the hospital wing.

Back in Gryffindor tower, she took a long hot shower. The feel of freshly laundered clothes felt wonderful against her skin. She tugged a comb through her long hair, and twisted it into a braid. She pinned it to the back of her head and studied her reflection. She was so pale. Pinching her cheeks to give them a little color, she was finally satisfied. She grabbed her bag and hurried down to breakfast.

Lily was already in the Great Hall. She smiled widely when she saw Noelle enter. Noelle dropped onto the bench next to her friend and reached for the coffee.

"How are you feeling?" Lily asked.

Noelle shrugged. "Pas mal. Just a little tired."

Chewing on a piece of bacon, she searched for Sirius. Neither he nor James was in the hall. She looked at Lily, but before she could answer, Lily responded.

"Haven't seen them. I think they're still sleeping."

Noelle glanced at her watch. "They had better hurry or they will not get breakfast."

As Noelle was finishing the last of her toast, Sirius and James finally burst into the hall. Both looked exhausted. Comprehension dawned on Noelle. Last night had been the full moon. James sat across from Lily and reached for the platter of eggs.

"Better hurry, Prongs. Class in five minutes." Sirius managed to say from behind a mouthful of sausage.

Noelle shot him a disgusted look and he swallowed.

"Sorry, Noelle."

He gave her a winning smile and she melted.

"So you're feeling better?"

She nodded. "Oui, I am much better."

Just then, the bell signaling the beginning of classes rang. As they stood up from the table, Lily laid a hand on James' arm to ask him a question. He winced painfully and drew back. Lily's green eyes went wide.

"James, what's wrong with your arm?" she questioned.

His hazel eyes shifted around nervously. "Nothing. I got hit by a bludger the other day at practice."

Lily seemed satisfied and continued to ask her question. Behind them, Sirius saw Noelle's eyebrow rise suspiciously. She locked those navy searchlights on his face, silently asking a question. He put a puzzled look on and shrugged. She didn't buy it, but walked toward the exit, still gazing skeptically at them.

Thankfully, Noelle wasn't nearly as far behind in her classes as she thought she would be. Her teachers took the time to go over all the notes she had missed and gave her extra time to finish the assignments. Not looking forward at all to catching up, she headed to the library while the others went to Transfiguration.

Severus was seated at a table by the window, so she made her way to him.

"Wow, Noelle, you recovered nicely." He said with a smile.

She grinned back. "All thanks to your wonderful potion making skills."

She said with a flourish, leaning down to brush his cheek with her lips. He blushed slightly, but covered it.

"Speaking of my potion making skills, I'm actually working on that potion we talked about." He said in a low voice.

She leaned forward to read his notes and found she couldn't understand them at all. She looked at him questioningly.

"I wrote them in German. My mother is German, and I always speak it with her. I just didn't want them to fall into the wrong hands."

She nodded with understanding.

"Anyway."

He cleared his throat. "I'm making real progress. It won't be long before I have a test potion to have you try."

Her eyes widened with surprise. "Already?" she asked incredulously.

He nodded proudly. "I told you, this means a lot to me."

She blinked back tears. "It means more to me. Thank you, Severus."

She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on the cheek again. As she pulled away from him, the emotion in his eyes startled her.

"Are you alright, Severus?" she asked gently.

He shook his head slightly. "Of course. It's just that, you are very affectionate, and I'm not used to that."

She blushed this time. "Oui, I am, but it is because I am French. We are a very passionate kind of people."

He laughed. "Noelle, I don't mind it, not at all."

She raised an eyebrow. "Seeing as how you are German, I am sure you do not!" she murmured, causing him to roar with laughter.

When he had recovered, he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"So I'm guessing it will be about another week or two. Then we can try it."

She nodded. "Bon."

Checking her watch again, she groaned. "I have to finish my History of Magic essay."

He snorted. "Better you than me!" She playfully whacked him on the arm and pulled out her notes.

In Transfiguration, Sirius and James were barely paying attention. James was in serious pain from the deep scratches he had received from Remus the night before, but he insisted that he would be fine. Over and over they rehashed the night's events. Slightly behind them, a mousy boy was carefully listening to their clandestine conversation. He could only hear snippets.

"...dragged him down..."

"...it was risky..."

He strained to hear more, but Professor McGonagall called the class to order so she could assign homework. As the class was dismissed, Peter tagged behind the two popular Gryffindors. He would give anything to be as well liked as James Potter and Sirius Black were. He scratched the assignment on a scrap of parchment and stuffed his books back into his bag.

As he was leaving the classroom, James and Sirius were just ahead of him, still whispering furtively. He quickened his step to catch up with them, and promptly tripped over an untied shoelace. Red with embarrassment, he got to his feet. The students that were milling around the corridors burst out laughing. Ducking his head shamefully, he scurried back to the Hufflepuff common room.

Dinner that night was a cheerful affair, at least for Noelle. She was so happy to be out of the hospital wing. Bouncing in her seat, she chatted animatedly with Lily and the boys.

"Hopefully, I will be able to catch up on my work in about a week, n'est-ce pas? There is not too much to do." She said.

Lily nodded. "And you can have my Charms notes, you'll probably need them to do the homework." Lily responded as she poured herself some pumpkin juice.

Noelle nodded gratefully and thanked her friend. She took a bite of her chicken and gazed around the Great Hall. James, Sirius and Remus were talking quietly a little ways away with their heads bent together. She saw James' hand go to his sore arm and gently rub it, while Remus looked remorseful. James patted Remus on the shoulder companionably and grinned.

Noelle shook her head slightly and resumed her perusal of the hall. Severus was eating by himself, reading and taking notes from a very old book in front of him. Colin was holding court over the rest of the Slytherins.

Inwardly, Noelle was relieved that her reputation seemed to be old news, and no one had bothered her in a while. As her eyes scanned the Hufflepuff table, she spotted Laura sitting morosely with her silly friends, occasionally looking wistfully at Sirius. Noelle laughed to herself as she thought of how the girl still tried to get his attention.

Passing her gaze over Laura, she noticed a pudgy boy staring fixedly at the Gryffindor table. As her eyes locked on him, dread filled her chest, spreading like ice over her heart. Every ounce of her being was instantly on edge. Something about his boy was not right. She swallowed slowly, feeling as if she would choke. She searched for exactly what he was studying so intently. Fear gripped her again as she realized that whatever he was staring at was sitting beside her.

"Hey?"

There was a hand on her thigh and she jumped a foot.

"Noelle? You okay?"

Sirius' grey eyes were full of concern. She blinked hard and saw that the boy had stopped his attentive fix on her friends. The ice began to lift from her heart and she finally began to relax. Nodding slowly, she spoke softly.

"Oui, I am fine."

He gave her an odd look.

"You sure? You look like you've just seen the devil incarnate." Sirius joked.

Noelle's navy eyes grew even darker while the others laughed.

"Oh, come on Noelle, it was a joke...you know...funny...ha, ha.."

Still she stared at him unblinkingly.

"You should not joke about that." She said darkly.

The laughter died on Sirius' lips and he took her hand.

"I'm sorry, but it was only a joke."

She smiled slightly. "No, I am sorry. I am far too serious sometimes."

He planted a kiss on her forehead and replied, "Don't worry, I'm goofy enough for both of us."

She laughed and he continued.

"I think that's why my parents named me Sirius...they knew I was going to be anything but." He said thoughtfully.

The others at the table roared with laughter at this enormous understatement as Noelle playfully whacked him on the arm.

After they had recovered, Noelle peered down the table, looking for some rice.

"James, could you pass me the rice?" she asked.

He nodded and stretched his right arm out to her. As he did this, the sleeve of his robes slid up and Noelle could see four deep slashes on his forearm. They were dark red and looked seriously infected.

A look of horror passed uncontrollably over her face and she drew back. James quickly glanced down and saw what she was looking at. He yanked the sleeve back over his arm, his eyes silently begging her to keep her mouth shut. Against her better judgment, she snapped her mouth shut and scooped rice onto her plate, shooting him a fierce look as she did so.

"Later...I'll tell you later." He mouthed to her.

She nodded curtly and focused herself on her meal, forgetting the disturbing events of earlier.

Back in the common room, James headed for his dormitory before she could confront him. Sirius was yawning widely, but he was trying to stay awake to spend some time with her. Finally, after his chin had hit his chest one too many times, Noelle urged him off to bed. Gratefully, he kissed her goodnight and staggered towards the stairs. Lily was the next to head to bed, and eventually Noelle was alone with Remus.

"What happened last night, Remus?" she asked sternly.

Remus bowed his head. "I don't know. I can't remember it exactly. All I know it that I attacked one of my best friends."

She could hear the regret in his voice.

"I am not going to tell you that it is too dangerous for them to be with you, because I know you are well aware of it, and nothing I could say to you would make you tell them not to. But Remus, you could have killed him!" Noelle exclaimed.

His shaggy brown head came up. "Don't you think I know that, Noelle?" he demanded sharply.

"Well, use your common sense. I know James has little, and Sirius is completely lacking in it, but you have lots. Use it." She said firmly.

"Noelle, they won't stop coming out with me. They're my friends, and they're the best ones I've ever had!" he said.

"If they are your best friends, then you wouldn't want to lose one of them, would you?"

As she said this, she felt a heavy sense of foreboding fall over her. She shook it off and continued.

"Remus, I do not mean to lecture you. But not only are they your best friends, Sirius is my boyfriend, and James means more to Lily than she will ever admit. And you! You are the first person that I shared my secret with! I do not want to lose you, either." She said emotionally.

Remus quickly wrapped her in a hug. "You're not going to lose any of us, Noelle. We'll be more careful. I swear."

He held his right hand up, and she smiled weakly.

"D'accord. I will take your word on it then."

She glanced at her watch. "It is late. I need sleep."

She hugged him one more time and turned to go to her room.

"One more thing. Be careful about where you all talk. People listen."

He raised an eyebrow and said, "People listen? Like who?"

Noelle shook her head. "Just people. Be careful."

Still trying to shake off the dreads, she scurried up the stairs to her room.


	12. Chapter 12 Seductress

The next few weeks went by smoothly and before Noelle knew it, the snow was melting and the sun was becoming stronger. Soon, exams would be upon them.

Severus had developed several test potions, but none had been very successful. They had helped her symptoms for a short while, and then her body had become accustomed to them. This made him even more determined to find the correct mixture and ingredients.

One breezy Tuesday, he passed by her desk in Potions and furtively whispered, "Tonight, down in the dungeons...I think I finally have it."

Then, just as quietly as he had approached, he floated away. Noelle sat staring after him, with an indescribable feeling in her heart.

Sirius saw Snape lean down to talk to Noelle, and he saw the look on Noelle's face after he had left. She looked nervous and excited all at the same time. What was going on between those two?, he wondered to himself. He didn't think that Noelle was cheating on him, but there was something strange about the relationship she and Snape had. It bothered him, but he knew she wouldn't hear any of his complaints.

She turned to Lily to ask her a question about the assignment, and caught his eye. Nervously, she smiled. Now he was worried. Noelle never looked nervous around him anymore. What was going on?

Later that night, after everyone had eaten and most of the students were heading to bed, Noelle slipped out of Gryffindor tower. She had briefly thought of asking James if she could borrow his Invisibility cloak, but that would mean letting him know that she knew he had one. Taking a chance, she scampered down the stairs.

Severus was waiting for her in the damp dungeon chamber. A cauldron was simmering on the table in front of him. His onyx eyes lit up when he saw her enter the room.

"Here, sit down."

He pulled a chair out for her and she gracefully sat. Sniffing the air delicately, she gave a lopsided smile.

"At least this one smells better than the last one." She said.

He chuckled. "Hopefully, it will taste better too."

Noelle crossed her fingers and nodded.

After tossing a few more ingredients into the cauldron, he slapped his hands together.

"Okay, I think it's ready."

He ladled some into a goblet and handed it to her.

Eyeing it suspiciously, she finally nodded.

"Alors, I am ready."

He lifted a large book whose cover was thick with dust and gently blew it at her. She inhaled deeply, and began to hack.

Quickly, she lifted the goblet to her lips and let the contents slide down her throat. Once it was empty, she slapped her hand over her mouth and tried to keep the potion in her stomach. After a few heaves, her stomach settled and she was able to relax. She was still hacking, but at least it was a productive hack.

Embarrassed, she turned away from Severus and spit out a large ball of phlegm. After a few more, the coughing came less and less until it ceased all together.

With her hand still resting on her chest, and her eyes still on the floor, she took a few deep breaths. Her lungs filled with air effortlessly and she felt no need to cough. She felt wonderful, the best she had in years.

Her eyes began to light up as she took deep breaths. The air flowing into her chest felt cleansing. Severus saw the look on her face and began to smile. He smiled so hard that his cheeks hurt.

Just then, her chest seized up completely and she began to hack even worse. He rubbed her back gently until she stopped. Turning her eyes to him, she shook her head. His eyes went bright with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry, Noelle. I really thought I had it this time." He bowed his head so she couldn't see his eyes.

She grasped his hand. "You tried, and you will succeed. You are the best friend I have ever had."

He smiled and embraced her. He tightened his hold on the fragile girl, rubbing her back gently. Slowly, she pulled away and made to kiss him on the cheek, just as he turned his head to kiss hers.

Their lips met. Stunned, Noelle didn't know what to do. True, he didn't have the suaveness of Sirius, but it didn't feel bad. They kissed gently at first, Noelle getting used to kissing someone other than Sirius, and Severus realizing just how passionate Noelle could be.

Their kisses deepened and he felt her tongue slide inside his mouth. He moaned softly and pulled her tighter into his arms. She responded eagerly, her small hand entwining into his black hair. He ran his hand up the side of her body and she sighed gently.

Slowly, he ran his tongue over her lips and she moaned. Her knees went weak, and he had to support her entire weight. She gripped the back of his robes and pulled his head to her shoulder. Not entirely sure what she wanted, he hesitated.

Noelle sensed that he was unsure, so she ran her tongue over her lips and pressed them to his neck. She trailed her tongue over his skin as he stood, absorbed in the sensations. Taking the hint, he placed his own lips on her smooth neck. She moaned again, and sucked gently on his ear. It was almost too much to bear. He groaned at the effort of trying to restrain himself and she laughed slightly.

"I see nothing funny about this, Mr. Snape...Miss Lemieux."

A sharp voice rang through the dungeon, and Noelle and Severus jumped away from each other.

Professor McGonagall advanced on them, with anger in her eyes.

Noelle buried her face in her hands and sobbed in humiliation.

"Mr. Snape, go to Professor Valenti's office. Miss Lemieux, come with me."

McGonagall spun on her heel, and with a heavy heart, Noelle followed her. Severus grabbed her hand.

"Noelle, I'm so sorry...I...I...I never thought anything like this would happen."

Noelle smiled sadly. "I am just as much to blame as you are. I did not stop, even though I probably should have."

She touched his pale face softly, and felt the heat that was still there from their kisses.

"Do not worry, I do not blame you."

Silently Noelle followed Professor McGonagall through the castle. In her office, she sank into the chair in front of the desk. She kept her head down, her fingers tightly clenched together. Finally, Professor McGonagall spoke.

"I am very disappointed, Miss Lemieux. I never expected this sort of behavior from you." She seethed. "In all rights, I should expel you."

Noelle's head came up sharply. "I made a mistake, and I am sorry." She said simply.

Professor McGonagall studied the girl in front of her intently. She did indeed look remorseful, and it would be a shame to expel someone of Noelle's calibre.

"I'm not going to expel you. However, you will serve a week's detention and be placed on full restriction for the remainder of the year."

Silently, Noelle nodded. "Thank you." She murmured.

"Also, I will leave it up to you as to how you explain your punishments to the other students."

Noelle breathed a sigh of relief.

"You are dismissed."

She rose from her chair and made her way back to the tower. What in the world was she going to tell her friends? And Sirius! How could she even begin to tell him what she had done? She wiped a hand over her face as she climbed through the portrait hole.

The next morning, Noelle was still wondering how to talk to Sirius. She knew that her conscious would eat her alive if she didn't confess, but she didn't want to think of what he would do or say. Nervously, she chewed her toast. A hand on her shoulder made her jump.

"You all right?" Sirius questioned.

Noelle recovered quickly. "Oui, of course." She sipped her coffee.

"You sure? You look distracted, or upset, or both." He pursued.

"I said I was fine, Sirius." She said irritably.

His grey eyes widened. "Sorry for asking."

As he pushed his chair back to leave, she grabbed his hand. "Do not go away angry. I'm sorry."

She smiled weakly at him, and he leaned down to kiss her. As his lips brushed hers, guilt flooded her soul. She flinched slightly, but he didn't seem to notice. He straightened just as Professor McGonagall approached the table.

"Miss Lemieux, eight o'clock tonight, Greenhouse three."

Noelle swallowed deeply and noddec. Before Sirius could turn his inquisitive eyes on her, Noelle downed her juice and picked up her bag.

"See you in Charms." She tossed over her shoulder as she fled the hall.

She pushed her way through the hallways, her eyes on the worn stone floor. She couldn't just rush away every time Sirius tried to talk to her. Eventually, she was going to have to tell him, before someone else did. She took her seat in the classroom, steeling herself against the penetrating stares of her classmates.

Surprisingly, there were no unusual instances at all, for the entire day. She finally began to relax. At dinner, she even managed to joke a bit. Just when she thought she was home free, Sirius dropped the second shoe.

"So, Noelle, why do you have detention tonight?"

The blood drained rapidly from her face. Her mouth opened and closed without making any sounds, then

"I was studying for Potions in the dungeons last night and I lost track of time." She said, her voice barely cracking.

"Severus with you?" Sirius questioned, his jealousy thinly veiled.

"Oui, he was there." Noelle answered as nonchalantly as possible.

"Oh."

The single word spoke volumes to her. He was suspicious now, and she knew it was only a matter of time before more questions were asked.

Her detentions were unremarkable. She helped re-pot some mandrake plants, scrubbed some cauldrons for Professor Valenti and helped Hagrid weed his garden. After one long evening at this, she returned to the tower, desperate for a bath.

She climbed out of the tub, feeling like a new person. As she pulled on cotton shorts and a tank top, Lily stumbled sleepily into the room.

"How was detention?" Lily yawned.

Noelle shrugged. "It was easy. Detention with Hagrid hardly work."

Lily laughed. "He's far too nice to punish anyone."

Noelle nodded in agreement and perched on the edge of her bed with a nail file, attempting to repair some damage.

"Noelle?" Lily asked.

"Hmm?" Noelle answered without looking up.

"Why did you really get detention?"

Noelle was silent at first. She just froze without taking her eyes off her nails.

"I told you, I was out of bounds after hours."

Lily still looked skeptical. "Noelle, I'm not stupid. No one has ever gotten a week's worth of detentions and been placed on full restriction for being out of bounds."

Noelle glanced at her friend, then swung her eyes away again, remaining silent.

Lily sighed. "Fine. When you're ready to tell me, I'll be here." she said, looking slightly put out.

She sank back onto her bed and pulled the curtains closed around her. Quickly she yanked them back open.

"You know, I'm your friend Noelle. You don't have to keep secrets from me."

Her green eyes showed how hurt she was. Noelle took a deep breath.

"Severus and I were working on a potion, we kissed and McGonagall walked in." she blurted out.

Lily's chin hit her chest. "You kissed Snape? You're kidding me!" she gasped.

Noelle shook her head, her eyes full of tears. "Please, never mention it!" she begged.

"Of course not. Sirius would kill him."

Noelle blanched. "That's what I'm afraid of and that's why he must never find out."

Lily snorted. "Noelle, he's going to find out, one way or another. You know that, right?"

Noelle swallowed thickly. "Do you really think he will?"

Lily sighed again. "Noelle, for the sake of Severus' life, I hope not."

The next morning, Noelle was downing cup after cup of coffee. She hadn't slept at all the night before. Sirius dropped onto the bench next to her, yawning widely.

"I see you didn't get much sleep either, huh?" he muttered under his breath.

With her eyes down, she shook her head. "Non." She said softly.

He rubbed his temples. "Noelle, I don't know what's going on between us, but I feel as if we're drifting apart."

He tilted her chin up so she was looking into his eyes.

"I feel like you're keeping something from me."

She had to tear her eyes away because the love she saw there was unbearable.

"Noelle, nothing you could tell me would make me love you less."

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself.

"The reason I have detention, is because I kissed Severus the other night and Professor McGonagall caught us."

She quickly glanced around the room before meeting his eyes again. Emotions flew across his face. Shock, pain, and then anger such as she'd never seen before. Instinctively, she drew back.

Sirius' mouth opened and closed. She cautiously placed her hand on his arm. He looked down at it, then snatched his arm away.

"Noelle, how could you...I loved you dammit!" he yelled.

Instantly, the hall fell silent and everyone turned around. He jumped up and she grabbed his robes to make him sit back down. He ripped away from her and ran out of the Great Hall. She jumped to her feet and followed him.

Quickly the talking resumed in the hall. Most of the Gryffindors were quite used to their tumultuous relationship and hardly paid any attention to their spats anymore. The students finished their breakfast and began to trickle out the hall to their classes.

However, one student in particular had been watching the scene unfold with his attention never wavering. After the room had emptied, he also began to leave.

As he scurried by the Gryffindor table, a notebook lying under the bench caught his eye. The name 'Sirius Black' was written in bold letters on the cover. He flipped it open. At first, all he saw were notes from what looked like Charms class.

Towards the back, what he read caused his jaw to drop. His normally slow mind began to race and a wicked gleam lit his eyes. With a twisted grin, Peter Pettigrew snapped the book shut and started out of the hall. This could be his ticket in.


	13. Chapter 12 Unedited Dungeon Scene

Well.....if you want to know what _really _happened in the dungeon between Noelle and Snape, read on......just beware, it gets pretty smutty!!! Read at your own risk!

* * *

Their lips met. Stunned, Noelle didn't know what to do. True, he didn't have the suaveness of Sirius, but it didn't feel bad. They kissed gently at first, Noelle getting used to kissing someone other than Sirius, and Severus realizing just how passionate Noelle could be. Their kisses deepened and he felt her tongue slide inside his mouth. He moaned softly and pulled her tighter into his arms.

She responded eagerly, her small hand entwining into his black hair. He ran his hand up the side of her body and she sighed gently. Slowly, he ran his tongue over her lips and she moaned. Her knees went weak, and he had to support her entire weight. She gripped the back of his robes and pulled his head to her shoulder. Not entirely sure what she wanted, he hesitated.

Noelle sensed that he was unsure, so she ran her tongue over her lips and pressed them to his neck. She trailed her tongue over his skin as he stood, absorbed in the sensations. Taking the hint, he placed his own lips on her smooth neck. She moaned again, and sucked gently on his ear. It was almost too much to bear. He groaned at the effort of trying to restrain himself and she laughed slightly. She stared into his dark eyes, and she could see right into his soul. She leaned forward to kiss him again, and she felt his body slightly stiffen.

"What?" she murmured, her voice husky.

He cleared his throat and shifted his eyes to the side.

"What are you doing, Noelle? Are you sure this is right?" he said, his voice shaking.

Noelle studied the collar of his robes, and the Slytherin patch on his chest intently before raising her navy eyes to meet his.

"Does it feel wrong?" she whispered.

Slowly, Severus shook his head. "Not really. But Noelle..."

She shushed him with her mouth. He responded to her aggression hesitantly at first, but he couldn't contain himself. They were kissing so fervently that they were knocking their teeth together. A deep moan escaped Noelle's lips and she pushed him toward the table.

With a quick sweep of her arm, she had cleared the table of his notes.

Grabbing him firmly by the collar, she pushed him onto the table so he was lying flat on his back. She slowly straddled him, and taking handfuls of his robes, she pulled them roughly apart. Wordlessly, Severus didn't try to stop her. He was too shocked to even move. She tore at his shirt and buttons went flying across the dungeon. She placed her hands on his smooth chest, marveling at the muscles that she never knew he had. Running her hands up his body, she leaned down to resume kissing his neck. His skin was warm against her lips, and she couldn't get enough of the spot directly behind his earlobe. Apparently, neither could he, because he was moaning loudly as her tongue caressed the sensitive skin. Finally, he couldn't take anymore.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her gently away. She met his eyes, and her breath caught when she saw the desire smoldering there.

Without a word, she sat up straight, and brought her hands to the fastenings of her robes. His eyes grew wide as she pulled them slowly off of her shoulders. Severus brought himself into a sitting position, hardly believing what was happening.

Noelle's slim hands slipped around his neck and she kissed him softly.

Her tongue fluttered gently against his own as she massaged the back of his head. He reached into her hair, and lightly grabbed a handful. She moaned deeply and flung her head back. He placed his lips gently on her neck, and she tugged at the collar of her sweater. Bringing her head back in the position to face him, she smiled seductively.

"Can you help me a little bit?" she asked, pouting prettily.

He swallowed deeply. "What do you want me to do?" he whispered dumbly.

She arched an elegant eyebrow, and he looked down, embarrassed.

"Noelle, I...ah...I've never done this before."

She smiled incredulously. "Really? Then we can learn together."

She kissed him again and took his hands in her own. Placing them on her small waist, she wrapped his fingers around the bottom of her sweater. Gripping his hands firmly, she tugged the sweater up over her head. Once it was off, she tossed it aside.

Dumbfounded, Severus opened and closed his mouth without saying a word. She reached for her tie and began to loosen it, then that too went flying across the room. She sat a little further back and began to slowly unbutton her Oxford shirt, keeping her eyes on his face. Once it was open all the way down, she left it on. His eyes traveled over her neck and down her chest until they were focused on her flat stomach. Placing a finger under his chin, she lifted his face until he was staring into her eyes.

"Do you want me, Severus?" she whispered, still staring deeply into his eyes.

He nodded slowly, but she could see the hesitation there. "Noelle, you know I want you...the question is, do you really want me? And what about Sirius?" he asked haltingly.

She reached around behind her back and unhooked her bra, keeping the thin fabric just barely draped over her breasts.

"Sirius is not here, Severus. I am here, and you are here. That is all that matters."

His jaw dropped as she took his right hand and placed it lightly on her chest. He slammed his eyes shut as she pressed on his hand. She let out a soft moan as the heat from his fingers passed through the fabric. She felt the heat travel into her own body, and quickly realized she had to have more.

Taking his other hand, she slipped them both beneath the material. The feel of his hands on her bare skin drove her crazy, and she let out a quiet squeal of pleasure. A smile spread over his face and he gathered his courage. Bringing his hands out from underneath her bra, he slid them up to her shoulders. She closed her eyes as he slipped the white cotton shirt down her arms, and then ran his hands back up to pull the straps down as well.

Noelle shivered as the cool air in the dungeon gently stroked her warm skin. She opened her eyes slowly. Severus was drinking her in, as if she were an apparition. His hands slid around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She pressed her bare chest against his and locked her lips to his. Sliding his arms tighter around her, he gently turned her so that she was lying on her back on the table, never taking his lips from hers. Her hands slipped inside his shirt, and up over his shoulders. She pushed the shirt down his arms and tossed it next to hers.

Digging her fingers into his biceps, she marveled at the strength of his arms. No way had she ever imagined that his robes were hiding this amazing body, but now that she knew, she was relishing every second. His lips traveled over her chin and down her neck. He trailed small kisses over her skin until he reached her collarbone. Using his tongue gently, he traced the outline, and began to go lower. She moaned again, this time louder than any other. When he hesitated, she let out a small sound of protest, which caused him to quickly return his lips to her skin. He flicked his tongue softly over her body and her moans grew louder.

When he reached the waistband of her skirt, he stopped. Noelle lifted her head, her eyes glassy.

"Why are you stopping?" she cried.

"Noelle, I want to be sure that you are positive about this. Why are you doing this?"

Noelle touched his face. "You have been the best friend I have ever had. You care about me, you want me to be healthy. I trust you."

He felt his heart swell with emotion and he moved his hands down her hips to her thighs. She cried out loudly and arched her back. Encouraged, Severus slowly ran his hands along her legs until he was under her skirt. He tenderly caressed the silky skin of her thighs, causing her to shudder in delight. His fingers found the elastic on her panties and she could tell he wasn't sure of what to do. She reached down and stroked his dark hair. That was enough of a sign for him. He took the sides of her panties and gently pulled them down her legs, easing them over her shoes. Noelle gazed into his eyes and saw the incredible lust, and she knew that he could see the same in hers. He massaged the inside of her thighs until she thought she would go crazy. Grasping him firmly by the back of the head, she pulled him up to her face.

He eased between her legs to meet her lips. She reached down again and deftly unbuckled his belt. He stared at her in amazement as she tugged his pants down, but didn't protest. Noelle jumped slightly at the contact between them and Severus tried to pull away, but she held him fast.

"Noelle, are you sure about this? I don't want to hurt you, in anyway, at all. I swear, I'm not like them." he whispered, his breath hot against her ear.

She pulled away enough to look directly at him. Her eyes traveled over his face, and she nodded.

"I know you are not, and there is no them, just that one time." She bit her lip. "There has not been another time, not like you think. This is nothing like that last time, Severus...I need to forget...."

She pressed her lips to his again firmly. "Make me forget....help me forget."

He kissed her again, with all the desire in his heart. Slowly he lowered his body until he was completely covering her. The sensation of skin against skin made Noelle dizzy. She felt him gently stroking her entire body, and she wanted to pull him into her as fully and completely as she could. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she let her head fall back against the table. Pleasure washed over her in rhythmic waves. His lips were nibbling gently at her neck, and she couldn't bear it any longer.

"Please, Severus, I cannot take any more...this is torture...I need you." She moaned lustily.

He responded immediately, bringing her to an ecstasy that she never knew was possible. Screaming out loud, she let go of her last small bit of restraint.

They pressed forward together, with their passion climaxing like a crash of thunder.

* * *

An hour or so later, Severus pried his eyelids open. Noelle was curled in his arms, sleeping soundly. He checked his watch. It was past two o'clock in the morning. Regretfully, he nudged her awake. Her eyelids fluttered gently and then stayed open. She smiled bashfully at him as she rose. He was in awe of how beautiful she was, even when she first woke up.

"It's very early in the morning. We have to get back to our rooms."

He said, even though he would have given his right arm to stay exactly where he was. She smiled sadly and nodded. She slid off of the table and picked her blouse up off the floor. She tugged it over her shoulders as he did the same. They dressed in silence, but Severus picked up her robes from the corner and stood behind her to help her put them on. He smoothed them over her arms and his hands slid over her breasts as he did so. Noelle turned to face him and they began to kiss again.

"We can't start this again, or we'll never get out of here." He moaned, cupping her face in his hands.

She smiled. "Would it be so bad? Locked in a dungeon together?" she said teasingly.

"I could think of worse punishments." He said, pretending to be very deep in thought.

Noelle laughed at the pensive look on his handsome face.

"I see nothing funny about this, Mr. Snape...Miss Lemieux."

A sharp voice rang through the dungeon, and Noelle and Severus jumped away from each other. Professor McGonagall advanced on them, with anger in her eyes.


	14. Chapter 13 Killer Instinct

"Get away from me!" Sirius yelled hoarsely.

Noelle stopped in her tracks. He was sobbing roughly.

"Sirius, I never meant for this to happen...please...you have to believe me!" she begged.

He laughed bitterly. "Believe you? Noelle, I can't even look at you right now! How could you do this to me? With him, of all people!" Sirius screamed.

Students that had come outside to enjoy the late spring day curiously turned around when they heard the volume and tone of his voice. She lowered her head in humiliation and studied the grass at her feet. He grabbed her arm and shook her roughly.

"Look at me, dammit!" he yelled.

She raised her eyes to meet his and winced at the pain she saw there, hidden deep under the anger. He dropped her arm and wiped his hand over his eyes.

"Sirius, please, it was a mistake. I don't love him...I love you." She pleaded breathlessly. She felt her chest begin to tighten.

"You love me? You've got a great way of showing it, Noelle."

Even as the fury inside him raged, he was still mesmerized by her beauty. He wanted to pull her down to the ground and kiss her until she couldn't remember who she was, never mind who Severus Snape was. As she gazed straight into his grey eyes, he could see that she was telling the truth. He opened his mouth, about to forgive her everything, anything, just as long as she still loved him. Over her shoulder he spotted the last person he wanted to see now, and forever.

Sirius pushed past Noelle and stormed across the grass, darkness clouding his mind. He didn't say anything, just pulled back his right fist and swung with all of his might. He connected with Snape's nose, causing it to shatter and bleed almost instantly.

Noelle screamed and grabbed hold of Sirius' arm. He yanked away, shaking her off and rushing forward again. He managed to get in three or four swings before someone finally lifted him off of Snape's inert body. A small crowd had formed and as the darkness finally cleared, he realized that something was terribly wrong.

Instead of one person lying on the ground, there were two. Lily was crouched by the side of the smaller figure, her features distorted with anger.

_No_, he thought. _Please, no!_

Sirius sank to the ground and crawled to Noelle's body, reaching out to touch her. She was crumpled on the ground, curled into a tight ball, sobbing uncontrollably with her hands over her face. Slowly, Lily managed to pull one hand away, revealing a vicious shiner and a deep gash under her eye. Tears were pouring down Noelle's face, leaving streaks in the blood.

Sirius gasped and yanked his hand as if she were on fire. He stared at his own hands as if they didn't belong to him. Shakily, he got to his feet, still in shock over what he had done. He began to back away slowly, then turned and fled, escaping the accusing stares of his classmates.

Bending over, James carefully gathered Noelle's shaking body in his arms. He lifted her weight easily and headed towards the castle. Lily hurried along beside him, occasionally glancing over her shoulder at Sirius' retreating back. _He doesn't deserve to be comforted_, she thought with disgust, and quickly caught up to James.

In the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey was already bustling around, fixing Severus' broken nose. He lay unconscious, still bleeding profusely. Upon hearing the three Gryffindors enter, she turned to face them. She gasped slightly when she saw Noelle's black eye, but she covered it well.

"Thank you Mr. Potter, Miss Evans. I can take it from here." She said.

James and Lily both hesitated, but a stern look from Madam Pomfrey sent them both towards the door.

"We'll be in the tower Noelle." Lily called over her shoulder.

Noelle nodded and sat on the edge of a cot, her shoulders quivering slightly with her sobs. Taking Noelle's face carefully in her hands, she tilted her chin up so she could better see the damage. Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips slightly and shook her head as she healed the cut under her eye. She then smeared a gooey potion over the swollen area.

"This will take the swelling away, but I'm afraid the bruise will be there awhile." She said apologetically.

Noelle sniffed and nodded, patting her good eye with a tissue. The pain slowly subsided as the swelling went down.

"Can I go back to my room?" she asked.

Madam Pomfrey nodded and Noelle slowly slid off the cot and made her way to Gryffindor tower.

As she climbed through the portrait hole, she heard James' voice raised in anger. Hoping Sirius was not in the common room, she slowly entered. She peered around the corner just enough to see James gesticulating forcefully from the armchair closest to the fire. She strained her ears to hear his words.

"Moony, I swear, I thought Padfoot was going to pound Snape right into the ground. I've always known that they don't get along, I mean, seriously. Noelle's the only one who can stand the greasy git."

James paused slightly. "But even he didn't deserve a beating this bad."

She heard silence again before James spoke in a hushed voice.

"Well, actually, I guess I can believe it. Remember what happened last year?"

Remus snorted. "You mean after Christmas? How could I forget, it did involve me."

Noelle crept around the corner so she could see both boys.

James nodded. "He was so mad. He thought that Noelle had come back here to be with Snape."

Remus looked slightly surprised. "Is that why he did it? I never knew, and I really didn't care to either."

James nodded again and opened his mouth to speak but quickly closed it when he spotted Noelle lurking in the shadows.

"How's your eye, Noelle?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

Remus' jaw dropped when she moved into the light. "Sirius did that?" he asked incredulously.

She waved her hand impatiently. "What were you just talking about?"

James shook his head. "Nothing." He lied.

She glared at him. "Enough. Tell me." She demanded, fixing her navy eyes on him.

He shook his head again, glancing nervously at Remus.

He sighed in exasperation. "For Merlin's sake, just tell her Prongs. She already knows I'm a werewolf."

"She knows?"

"Yes. Now tell her. She deserves to know."

James sighed and bowed his head. Reluctantly he began to speak.

"Sirius lured Snape into a tunnel under the Whomping Willow, which leads to where Remus hides when he transforms. I felt guilty and stopped him just in time." He said, all in one breath.

"In time for what?" Noelle asked, already knowing the answer.

James looked her straight in the eye. "In time for him to get out alive."

Noelle gasped. "Sirius tried to kill him?" she whispered.

"Well, yes, I suppose you could look at it that way." James said lightly.

"How could he?" she stammered.

"Noelle, he was angry and not thinking clearly. He didn't really want to kill him. Just scare him a bit."

Noelle stared at him in disbelief. "A bit? Are you mad?" she said between clenched teeth. "I cannot believe this. I barely know him then."

She rose unsteadily.

"Where are you going? You should be resting." James warned.

"I do not need rest. I need answers." She said sharply, and strode out of the room.

* * *

Sirius sat on his favorite rock by the lake, his mind reeling at what had just happened. The image of a battered Noelle was glued to the back of his eyelids. _How could he have let that happen?_ _How could he have lost control like that?_

Angrily, he stared at his hands, the hands that had done so much damage to the face of the girl he loved. _And to the face of the bastard that kissed her_, a little voice in his head said. He grimaced. The thought of someone else, especially that greasy git, touching Noelle made him ill. His fists clenched tightly. I should have killed him, he thought darkly.

"Would that really make you feel better?"

Her voice took him by surprise. He spun around.

"Noelle...I..." Had he spoken out loud?

"I asked you a question, Sirius." She said clearly.

Her eye was only slightly swollen, but the riot of colors surrounding it was horrific. She sat gracefully on a rock next to his, waiting for an answer.

"Yes...well..no...I don't know." He said with frustration.

She raised a thin eyebrow as best as she could. "Really? Haven't you tried to already?" she asked innocently.

His eyes widened in shock. "What are you talking about?" he stuttered.

She grabbed him by the front of his robes and shook him roughly. "You know exactly what I am talking about." She snarled, dropping her calm demeanor. "You tried to kill him last year, after I left James' at Christmas."

She shook him roughly. "All because you thought I was running to him? Or was it something else?" Her eyes narrowed as she searched his face.

"Did he find out your little secret? Well, I know your secret, too. Remus is a werewolf, and you and James are Animagus. You are not as sneaky as you think you are." She said caustically. "But James had a pang of conscious and stopped him. But you...you would have seen him die! What the hell is wrong with you!" Noelle screamed, angrily pushing him away.

He stumbled back, trying desperately to keep his footing on the slippery ground. She stood over him, glaring at him, the fury making her dark blue eyes even darker.

"And no, he did not tell me. James told me. Severus is still unconscious." She said, her voice cracking slightly.

She turned away from his stunned expression to head back to the castle.

"Wait, Noelle!" he called.

She turned back.

"I didn't mean to hurt him so badly." He started.

She laughed incredulously. "Hurt him? You destroyed his face, and his teeth." She paused.

"Why did you hit him in the mouth so many times? Because I kissed him?" she asked.

The blood drained from his face and a knowing smile spread slowly over her face.

"That is why, isn't it? Oui, I kissed him first. So you have no one to blame but me."

His grey eyes narrowed with anger, and she went too far.

"You make me sick at my stomach, Sirius Black." She hissed, and stalked away.

He watched her go, the bile rising in his own throat. He heaved once and let out an anguished wail. He had never felt the pain of a loss such as this. She was right, every word she spoke was the truth. He had indeed tried to trick Snape last year. Clutching his head in his hands, he sobbed brokenheartedly. She was gone; he had lost her.

* * *

Noelle stormed towards the castle. Her black eye didn't bother her nearly as much as the fact that Sirius had tried to kill Severus. _How could he have done that?_ She asked herself. A sob caught in her throat. For all that huge display of strength was worth, she felt miserable. She knew that she still loved him, because it was taking every ounce of self control that she had not to turn and throw herself into his arms, and beg him to forgive her. She cursed her weak heart.

_How could she love a man like that?_ Olivier had been dishonest and had betrayed her, but she was sure that he would never have tried to kill anyone. She rubbed her temples. Enough, Noelle. She told herself. Oblivious to the stares of her classmates, she hurried back to Gryffindor tower.

The common room was empty when she got there. Everyone was in class, she realized. It was amazing that only a few hours had passed since breakfast. There was no way she could concentrate on class right now. Deciding to take advantage of the empty dormitory, she climbed the stairs to her bedroom.

Before she could push the door open, the grief became too much to bear. She leaned her head against the wall. She kept hearing that awful howl that Sirius had made as she fled from him. Even as she tried to keep them inside, the tears kept pooling under her eyelids. It was useless to even try to stop them. Leaning all of her weight against the wall, she cried until the door creaked open.

Lily stood at the jamb, and reached for her best friend silently. Noelle fell into her embrace and allowed herself to be carried inside. She collapsed in a heap on her bed and cried even harder. Lily rubbed her back and stared out the window, wondering why her friend's life had to be filled with so much pain.

Later that night, Noelle awoke with a start. The dormitory was quiet and the lights were low. Glancing at her watch, she realized that she had slept right through dinner and well into the night. Slowly, she drew her knees into her chest and rested her chin on them. She listened to the slow, even breathing of her roommates and closed her eyes thoughtfully. Her sleep had not been easy, but full of nightmares. Shaking herself slightly, she eased off of her bed and silently crept out of the room.

She made her way downstairs as quietly as she could; surprised to see the fire was still going strong. Someone was in the armchair closest to the fire, their dark head bowed in deep thought. She took a deep breath and walked to the chair across from his. He turned his head to face her. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen, tearstains still visible on his cheeks. She swallowed nervously.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently.

Sirius gave a snort. "You're asking me this? After what I did to you?" his voice was still choked with tears.

"Sirius, I am sorry for what said to you by the lake. I am sorry for what I did. But I cannot take it back. It is over and done." She stared at him sorrowfully.

He looked into her eyes, and he could see that she was telling the truth. He reached for her hand, and she gave it to him willingly. When their hands touched, she felt a small jolt go through her hand and into her body. It took her by surprise and she jumped slightly. With a single glance, she could tell that he had felt it too.

"What was that?" she whispered.

He shook his head. "I don't know. But Noelle, all of this made me realize how much you mean to me."

He pulled his chair closer to hers and took her other hand into his. She stared into his eyes.

"I cannot believe how close we came to losing each other." She said breathlessly. "Sirius, I cannot begin to imagine what this life would be like without you. You are everything to me."

He was already shaking his head. "No, Noelle. Over and over, I have been an insensitive prick. You're the only thing in my life that means anything to me at all." He gently touched her face. "I love you so much Noelle. I'm so sorry, so sorry about everything. It's just when I thought of him touching you, kissing you, I lost it. I couldn't even see I was so angry."

She squeezed his hand. "You had every right to be angry. I am guilty, Sirius. I was wrong to do what I did, and I knew it. I don't know what came over me."

She bowed her head.

"Let's put it behind us." He said quietly.

She nodded, her eyes still on the floor. When she lifted her head, she could see the effects of her betrayal lingering in his grey eyes.

"Will we be alright?" she asked haltingly.

He smiled sadly. "We will be."


	15. Chapter 14 The Truth Revealed

Chapter 14

_No one forgives someone that quickly_, Noelle thought as she angrily scrubbed yet another filthy cauldron. Stacking it precariously onto the leaning tower, she reached for another. Not that she wasn't grateful, because she was, it was just something about how easily Sirius had let her indiscretion go bothered her. A horrible thought entered her mind. Maybe he was hiding something. She frowned to herself. _It's not like you were totally honest with him_, that annoying voice in her head whispered.

She shook the soapy water from her hands and pushed her hair off of her forehead. She sat sullenly on the bench behind the table and bit her lower lip. She glanced down at her watch. It read nearly midnight. With a flick of her wand, she sent the clean cauldrons into the store cabinet, then lined the cleaning supplies next to them. She reached for a towel, methodically drying her water wrinkled hands.

The nagging feeling wouldn't go away. Why should he have forgiven her? In her opinion, the only time you would forgive someone so easily was because you were guilty of the same crime. Why else would he have forgiven her? Had he done the same thing, yet been able to hide it from her? And Sirius Black could hold a grudge; this she was well aware of. _Well, he did pop you a good one, right in the face_, she thought wryly. Her navy eyes clouded over. Crossing her arms over her chest, she pursed her lips and pouted. Why couldn't she just let this go?

Up in the tower, James was lying on his back on a couch, releasing and catching a Snitch that he had filched from the equipment room. Sirius was hunched over in his favorite armchair, brooding like he had been for a week now. James sighed in frustration.

"What is it now, Padfoot?"

Sirius shook himself as if from a trance. "Hmm?" he said absentmindedly.

"Nothing, except the fact that you've been moping around here like you've lost your best friend for the past few days. No need to worry, mate. I'm still here." James joked.

Sirius managed a weak smile. "Nah, I'm fine, really. Just a little worried about exams."

He sat up straighter. "By the way, have you seen my Charms notebook? I've looked everywhere, and I just can't find it."

James shook his head. "Sorry, haven't seen it."

James glanced at him oddly. "I've never seen you worried about exams. And you're great in Charms."

Sirius was shaking his head. "No, that's not it. I'm worried about what's in the notebook."

He had an apprehensive look in his grey eyes.

James' eyebrows went up. "Such as? A steamy love note to the French one?" he said with a suggestive smile on his face.

"Not hardly." Sirius scoffed.

"So...what's in the book?" James said, his attention slowly drifting away.

"Notes. About something we'd rather keep to ourselves."

James caught the snitch and stared at it. "Please tell me that you're more responsible than to leave a notebook like that lying about for anyone to read? A notebook that contains enough material to get both of us expelled? Sirius, you're kidding me, right?" James said, still not looking at Sirius.

When he didn't answer, James swung his feet to the floor and sat up straight, staring his best friend directly in the eye.

"You've got to be joking."

Slowly, Sirius shook his head.

"It has to be upstairs, mixed in with your other school stuff."

Sirius was already shaking his head again. "Already torn the room apart. Twice."

James stood so fast he nearly knocked the couch over. Using both hands, he pushed his messy hair off of his face.

"I can't believe you. I cannot believe you! How could you leave something that important out in the open?" James roared.

Sirius stood up as well. "It's not like I intended to lose it, James!" he yelled back.

"You are aware that what we do is completely illegal? Do you want everyone to know about us?"

James' voice thundered through the tower, causing Sirius to hang his head.

Outside the portrait hole, Noelle heard the voices.

"Unicorn horn, unicorn horn!" she said impatiently.

The portrait swung open to reveal a very red and angry James facing off with a completely flustered Sirius. Lily was rushing down the stairs, as well as a few other Gryffindors.

"What's going on down here?" she said testily. "Some of us are trying to study, you know!"

She looked at Noelle, who raised her hands and shrugged.

"Well?" Lily persisted, her hands on her hips and her foot tapping impatiently.

"It's nothing, Lil. Go back upstairs." James said, still staring down Sirius.

She made a small noise of disbelief and he swung his gaze to face her.

"Please, Lily. Go back upstairs." He said in a much gentler tone of voice.

Slowly, Noelle began to creep around where the two boys were still head to head. She was almost at the stairs when he called to her.

"Noelle, have you seen my Charms notebook?" Sirius asked, the anxiety thinly veiled in his voice.

"Non, it was not my turn to watch it." She tossed over her shoulder as she paused in the stairway at Lily's side.

"Come on, let's go." She murmured to Lily, tugging slightly on the girl's arm.

"What the hell is going on?" Lily asked from between clenched teeth.

"I'll tell you upstairs." Noelle mouthed to her.

With a scathing glance at the boys, Lily stomped up to their room, sighing dramatically every few stairs. Noelle masked a smile and began to follow her.

Once in her room, she found Lily sitting on her bed. "So. What's wrong with them now?"

Noelle arched her eyebrow. "Sure, Lily, you can sit on my bed." She teased playfully.

Lily waved her hand dismissingly. "Yours is made. Tell me."

Noelle sat at the dressing table and idly began to pull her jewelry off.

"About what? My detentions? Oh, they are quite unremarkable."

She was cut off when a pillow smacked her in the face.

"Come on, Noelle!! You said you'd tell me! Oh my Lord, I'm whining." Lily said, a dubious look on her pretty face.

Noelle laughed. "D'accord, I will tell you."

She spun to face Lily.

"Remus is a werewolf."

She faced the mirror, and then quickly turned back.

"Oh, and James and Sirius are Animagi. I suppose that's what they were arguing about."

Lily gaped at her. "How did you know that?" she asked incredulously.

"I saw them one night. When they transformed. And I simply asked Remus about it." Noelle said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lily asked.

Noelle tucked in the corner of her mouth and studied her hands. "It was not my secret to tell." She said softly.

Looking into the trusting green eyes of her best friend, she smiled gently.

"But I should have told you. I am sorry."

"It's alright. Really, it is. But why are they fighting?"

Noelle shrugged. "That, I do not know. But you know Sirius. Nasty temper, that one's got."

Lily shook her head. "I heard James yell first. Something about Sirius being irresponsible. Not a huge shocker, didn't need to be told that one. But he was furious. Madder than I've ever heard him be."

She paused and Noelle used this opportunity to cut in.

"Lily, I honestly do not know what they were fighting about. I have stopped trying to figure Sirius out at all, or James for that matter."

She rubbed her temples gently; the bruise surrounding her eye was still pretty painful.

"But on the bright side, tonight was my last detention. So, now I am finally able to study, and have some nights to myself. Starting tomorrow. I have some serious thinking to do."

A flicker of pain drifted across her eyes, but as Lily started to mention it, it disappeared. Lily sighed heavily and rose from Noelle's bed. Noelle yawned hugely and quickly sank onto it herself. She pulled a pillow into her arms and rested her head on it, lost in thought.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked as she tugged a nightgown on.

Noelle thought carefully before she spoke. "Do you think I have done the right thing? Telling Sirius, I mean?" she questioned.

Lily gazed intently at her. "Don't you think it would have eaten you alive if you hadn't?"

Noelle slowly nodded and Lily peered at her even more. She could tell that Noelle wanted to say more, but the girl was so secretive that it drove Lily nuts. By now, she knew better than to press her. It was easier just to give her time. Finally, Noelle spoke.

"I mean, I do not regret telling him, because you are right, I would have felt horrible. But Lily, why did he forgive me so quickly? It makes me very suspicious."

Lily could tell that it had taken almost all of Noelle's trust for her to say what she had. Lily shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe he realized that you're only human, and you really did make a mistake."

Noelle looked skeptical. "I think he's hiding something from me." She said darkly.

Lily began to laugh, but managed to choke it back. "What could he be hiding from you?"

Noelle raised her navy eyes to meet her friend's face. "I did not tell you everything about that night, Lily."

She felt the blood slowly drain from her face at she stared at Noelle. "What are you trying to say?" Lily managed to ask.

"What do you mean, you didn't tell me everything?"

Noelle raised an eyebrow.

"You're kidding me. You've got to be. Noelle!" Lily scolded, and Noelle looked down.

"What?" Noelle said in a falsely innocent voice, then let out an exasperated sigh.

"Lily, it is not like I meant for that to happen, it just did. I got swept up in the moment." Noelle's gaze went serious. "But it can never happen again."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Obviously. Sirius would kill him. I mean, really kill him this time."

Noelle's navy eyes turned even darker. "You knew? This whole time, you knew about what Sirius did?"

Lily looked at her shoe and nodded slowly.

"How could you not tell me? How could you keep something like that from me?" Noelle asked in a tight voice.

Lily looked up and there were tears in her emerald eyes. "Noelle, I wanted to tell you, I really did. But James made me swear. And I knew it would make you furious, and that you would never forgive him, and besides! It wasn't mine to tell!" Lily yelled angrily.

Taken aback, Noelle's hand went to her throat. Lily had never lost her temper with her before. Noelle took a deep breath and thought hard before she spoke.

"Still, that is something that is so significant. It says so much about his character. I would never have held something like that from you."

Lily shook her red hair and stamped her foot in frustration. "Noelle, there is so much that you have kept hidden from me, from all of us! It's like you don't trust anyone, even me! Haven't you figured out that we're your friends?"

Tears poured unrestrained from Noelle's eyes and she swung her gaze away guiltily.

"You don't let anyone get close to you. What are you afraid of?" Lily demanded.

"You really want to know why? You want the truth?" Noelle screamed, her voice choked with sobs. "I'm dying, Lily. Oui, dying. Are you happy now?"

Noelle quickly turned to wipe her cheeks. Lily stood still, her mouth agape at what Noelle had just confessed.

"Dying? But how?"

"I'm very sick. I have Cystic Fibrosis, and I probably will not live past my mid-twenties. I was diagnosed two years ago, and the healers are not very optimistic."

She spun to face her friend. "Now do you see? I didn't want anyone to know, I didn't want anyone to get close to me, because I will die and leave them. It is safer that way."

Now it was Lily who stopped to wipe tears from her cheeks.

"That can't be true. It can't be. You're too young to die!"

Noelle laughed bitterly. "It is true. So you see, it doesn't matter. That is the true reason I left Beauxbatons, well, one of the real reasons. I didn't plan on meeting anyone like Sirius, or like you for that matter. Eventually, I will have to say goodbye, and I just cannot bear to think of it."

Lily's arms were instantly around her. "Noelle, I had no idea."

Noelle swung her gaze away again. "No one was supposed to have an idea. My parents and I decided that it was best that I keep it hidden. Madam Pomfrey knows, and so does Professor Dumbledore. And Remus."

"Remus knows? But how? You told him?"

Noelle was quick to shake her head. "Nicolette told him. And he asked me. He caught me off guard, and I could not think of a lie to tell him."

Noelle covered her face with her hands. "I also told Severus. Remember when I was very sick, after the Quidditch game?"

Lily nodded.

"He was the one who had to make my Strengthening solution. He kind of figured it out. He is determined to find a cure or at least a treatment for me. That is why we were in the dungeons so late."

Lily was still in shock. "You have to tell Sirius, Noelle. He deserves to know."

Noelle shook her head vigorously. "Tell him? I cannot. And I will not. And neither will you. He will treat me differently, and so will everyone else. I will tell him, when the time is right."

Lily looked doubtful, and Noelle sighed.

"I will tell him Lily. I promise. But not now. Not for awhile."

She rubbed her forehead. Her head was pounding. "Please, can we just go to sleep? I am so tired, I cannot even keep my eyes open."

Lily nodded. "I can't sleep right now. I'm going to go for a walk."

Noelle's eyes hardened. "Promise me, Lily. You will not say a word of this to Sirius. Promise."

Lily sighed and shook her head. "I won't say anything, but I don't think you should hide this anymore."

Noelle's gaze remained steady. "Promise."

"I promise." Lily said grudgingly.

"Bon. Thank you." Noelle pulled back the covers on her bed and crawled inside. "Thank you, Lily. I am sorry that I yelled at you. I was just frustrated."

Lily smiled half-heartedly and hugged her. "I'm glad you finally told me. And I won't say anything."

Noelle smiled at her with relief. She was asleep before Lily had closed the door.

Lily rapidly descended the staircase, her mind reeling at what Noelle had just confessed. They had been friends for two years now, and that was the most Noelle had ever told her about herself. She strongly disagreed about not telling Sirius. He loved Noelle so much, he deserved to know.

Then again, maybe Noelle was right. Sirius would treat Noelle like a fragile piece of china. He would never leave her side. Noelle was such a private person; she hated being protected, and Sirius already did enough of that, Lily thought ruefully. She turned the corner to enter the common room. Sirius was curled up on the couch, looking like a little boy that had been punished. His head came up when she approached.

"Hey." He said in a small voice.

"Hey yourself. Why are you down here? It's nearly two in the morning!"

"Me and James had a fight. I can't stand him when he's like this, so I came down here. Why are you down here?"

Lily sat on the couch across from him. "Just couldn't sleep. Besides, your girlfriend snores."

Sirius laughed weakly. "I wouldn't know. She barely ever touches me, never mind comes close to staying in the same bed with me."

Lily blushed slightly.

"Oh, you know what I meant." Sirius said, tossing a pillow at her.

She deflected it with her hand. He sat up quickly.

"Does she even like me anymore?" he asked.

Lily looked surprised. "Of course she does. Why would you think otherwise?"

He blew air out of his mouth and pushed his hair off of his forehead.

"She seems so distracted lately. When she kisses me, it's quick, like a stamp or something. She used to..." his voice trailed off.

"Not be able to keep her hands off of you. I remember." Lily teased.

Now it was Sirius who blushed. "I just miss it, that's all." He said wistfully.

Lily reached over and took his hand. "She still loves you. I know she does. But you're right, she's not herself lately. I don't know what's going on." Lily lied, hating herself for it.

Sirius turned his grey eyes to her green ones. "Really?"

Lily smiled gently. "Really. Now what are you and James fighting about?"

"It's stupid. I lost a notebook that had all my Charms notes in it, and he was going to use it to study. So he's pissed at me."

Lily rolled her eyes. "He'll get over it."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, right. James Potter, not hold a grudge? Fat chance."

Lily laughed. "Just go back to your room. He's probably passed out anyways."

Sirius stood and stretched. "You're probably right." He yawned. "Hey, don't say anything to Noelle, alright?"

_What do I look like, a damn secret keeper?_ Lily thought to herself. "I won't. Now go to sleep."

She herded him toward the boy's staircase. He chuckled and headed up.

She turned back to the couch and sank onto it. Staring into the fire, she tried hard to keep the tears from forming beneath her eyelids. It was useless. Burying her face in her hands, she started to cry. Really cry. Her shoulders shook with her sobs and she lay on the couch, clutching a pillow to her chest.

Her best friend was dying. Noelle was the best friend she had ever had, and Lily couldn't begin to imagine what life would be like without her. She had already day-dreamed about what their lives would be like after they graduated. Noelle would marry Sirius, and she would marry James, not that she would admit that to anyone. In fact, she'd punch anyone who said that to her in the nose. They would have houses next to each other, and they would raise their children together.

Now, Lily knew that it was truly a day-dream. She sobbed harder, burying her face in the pillow. Her sides and stomach began to ache and she howled into the pillow. A hand touched her shoulder. It was James.

"Lily? What's wrong?" he looked slightly frightened.

She shook her head and he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. "What is it, Lily? Tell me." He pleaded.

She slowly pulled away, pushing her hair off of her cheeks. "It's nothing. I swear."

She gasped as she tried to catch her breath. He gazed deeply into her green eyes and her breath caught again. Placing a finger under her chin, he tilted her face up. Their faces were inches away. She was mesmerized by the nearness of him and unknowingly she was squeezing his hand.

He slowly brought his lips to hers and kissed her gently. Her eyes closed and she kissed him back. He pulled away from her and touched her face.

"Lily, I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." his voice trailed off when he saw her expression. "I mean, I wanted to kiss you, but..."

Somehow his brain was going to fast for his mouth to keep up.

"James, shut up." She whispered.

His black eyebrows shot over the rims of his glasses. She reached up and carefully took them off. Placing them on the table near the couch, she turned back to an astonished James and slid her hand behind his neck. She smiled as she pulled his face back to hers.

In the morning, Noelle yawned hugely and stretched her arms over her head. She stared at the ceiling while she gathered her thoughts. She grabbed her shoulders and heaved a sigh. She couldn't believe that she had told Lily everything last night. She knew eventually her disease would have come out, but the fact that she had slept with Severus was something she had planned to take to the grave.

She sat up groggily and pulled the curtains back. Her eyebrows raised. Lily's bed was empty. She quickly swung her feet to the floor and scurried across the room to the door. She hurried down the stairs and peeked over the balcony.

Lily and James were curled up on the couch together. Lily's head was tucked against James' chest and his arms were around her tightly. They were sleeping soundly and peacefully, and Noelle smiled to herself and covered her mouth with her hand. She reached up to her hair and tucked it behind her ear.

A slight movement across from her startled her slightly. It was Sirius, and he was gazing at the couple on the couch, with an almost longing expression in his grey eyes. He looked up and saw her staring at him. Self consciously, he crossed his muscular arms over his chest. Swallowing nervously, she came down the rest of the stairs and met him at the bottom.

"Good morning."

His deep voice made her melt all over again.

Her face curved into a smile and she replied, "Good morning. You look as if you slept well."

He nodded, his eyes traveling over her shoulders and down to her legs. She crossed her arms over her breasts and turned her shoulders inward, suddenly aware that she was only in a tank top and cotton shorts. She smiled shyly and looked up at him.

He stared at her in disbelief. There it was. The same adoring gaze that she had always given him. He reached for her slowly and she went willingly into his arms. He lowered his face into her blonde hair and held her tightly. She pulled slightly away and turned her face to his. He kissed her softly and hugged her again.

"It's very early." She whispered into his chest.

"Oui, c'est vrai."

She smiled again. It had been so long since he answered her in French.

"Do you want to go back to bed?" she asked.

"Only if you come with me." He said flirtatiously.

She playfully pinched him. "Fine. But only if you behave."

He wiggled his eyebrows. "I always behave."

He took her by the hand and they sneaked up the stairs, careful not to wake his other roommates. She crawled across the large bed and tugged the comforter over her legs. He slid in beside her and pulled her next to him. She quickly fell back asleep, until he nudged her awake. She picked her head up and looked at him questioningly.

"Lily was right. You do snore."

She elbowed him and flopped back over on her side. He smiled to himself and snuggled closer to her warm body. Having Noelle in his arms felt so right and so perfect. At that moment, everything was the way it should be. He suddenly realized that if he wanted to keep Noelle in his life, he was going to have to take the good with the bad. Like it or not, he knew he would never truly possess her, she would just let him think he did. She sighed in her sleep and he brushed hair off of her face. She smiled and stroked his forearm softly.

Leaning down, he kissed her gently on the temple. Her skin was scented faintly with lavender, as it always was. He didn't care about anything but having her with him forever. With this thought, he settled down next to her and peacefully drifted off to sleep.


	16. Chapter 15 The Notebook

Chapter 15

The end of the year was fast approaching. Exams were upon them before they knew it. Riddled with guilt, Noelle threw herself into the preparation for her exams. Even though she had spent the night with Sirius, and it seemed as though things were well on their way to being normal, she found it hard to look him in the eye. Somehow, he looked smaller, less significant to her, and she couldn't figure out why. She was beginning to find his chatter annoying and immature, and the little flaws that she had never noticed were driving her up the wall. She couldn't stand how he tugged at his earlobe when he was tired, or the way he gestured with his fork if he was trying to make a point during dinner. Lately she had rolled her eyes at him more than she ever had in her life. It didn't help that she couldn't take her eyes away from Severus, and from what she had seen, the feeling was mutual.

After lunch one day, while the rest of her classmates were in Transfiguration, Noelle decided to take a stroll to the owlery to visit Etoile. She had just left the dining hall when she caught sight of Severus ahead. Taking a breath, she argued with herself over whether she should call to him. He saved her the trouble.

Almost as if he had sensed her, he slowly turned around. When their eyes met, she smiled apprehensively at the expression on his face. She glided to his side and pecked him on the cheek.

"Your nose looks much better." She said softly.

He cupped her face in his hands and turned it into the light. "Your eye is almost back to normal, huh?"

She nodded and pulled away from him slightly. Reaching for her hair, she nervously turned to the window.

"Beautiful day, non?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

"Noelle, there's no need to change the subject. I know you're back with him, though I can't for the life of me understand why, after the beating he gave you." She quickly shook her head, but he wouldn't let her interrupt. "I don't want to hear it. He's an animal. You have no idea what he's capable of." The anger in his dark eyes was apparent even though he tried to hide it.

"I know what he did to you." She blurted out before she could stop herself.

He looked shocked. "You do?"

With her head down, she nodded.

"And you still find it necessary to be with him?" he said, his voice going higher in pitch with every word. "I didn't want to tell you, because I figured that he would never behave like that to you. How long have you known?" he questioned.

"Since just after the fight." Ashamed, she swung her gaze from him.

Severus shook his head incredulously. "You're baffling, Noelle. You truly are. How can you trust him at all, knowing what he is capable of?" he thundered at her.

She shook her head, tears flying off her cheeks. He looked at her with disgust, and began to back away from her.

"No, please. Don't go away!" she pleaded. "Severus, I need you!"

He stopped in his tracks and looked closely at her.

"You need me? For what? Late night study sessions in the dungeons? Or maybe to antagonize Black even more for you? You just love the idea of guys fighting over you, don't you?" he taunted.

Noelle's navy eyes narrowed. "How dare you? From him I could expect this, but not you!"

He laughed bitterly. "Listen to yourself. You could expect him to treat you like this, but still you stay with him? What kind of hold does he have on you?"

Now she laughed sardonically. "I wish I knew. But somehow, I always manage to forgive him."

She tilted her head and she looked like a child. "Severus, I love him." She said simply.

Those words tore through his heart and he ducked his head. He took a deep breath before he spoke. "Noelle, I think it's best if we stopped being friends. I can't handle seeing you with him every day, knowing his character, and how he can do no wrong in your eyes."

The hurt was blatant in her face, but he pushed forward.

"I really think it's for the best." He said, his voice tight.

She gaped at him, not believing that he was just going to toss their friendship away.

"But, what about..." she stammered.

"The other night? I won't tell anyone. It's no one's business but ours anyhow. But Noelle, I really think that this is for the best."

Swallowing her protests, she nodded. "Perhaps you are right." She lied.

_Not him, not Severus_, she panicked. He gave a sharp nod and spun on his heel, his robes billowing behind him as he strode down the corridor.

Noelle leaned against the stone wall, clutching her hand to her chest. Her lungs seized and she swore under her breath. She grabbed the ledge and tried to steady herself, taking slow, deep breaths.

Bending over, she put her head between her knees and tried to relax. The wheezing grew louder and her chest rattled with her efforts. She brought herself upright again and found herself staring right at Severus. Her face was blood red and she was practically hyperventilating. He took her into his arms and pushed her hair off of her face. He removed a small vial from his robes and handed it to her.

Wordlessly, she uncorked it and poured the contents into her mouth. Instantly it was like ice water was soothing her raw throat. Cautiously, she took a breath, then another one. With wide eyes, she took in the slightly smug Severus Snape in front of her.

"I figured it out two nights ago." He said softly.

"This will work? For good?" she said in a strangled voice.

"If you take it right when your chest starts to seize up, it will prevent the attack from getting any worse."

She flung her arms around him and squeezed him tightly.

"Noelle, I didn't mean it. Any of it. I couldn't stand it if you weren't in my life." He whispered fiercely into her ear.

Overwhelmed with relief, she hugged him tighter.

A resounding bell echoed through the halls and they broke apart. Severus ran a hand through his dark hair and nervously glanced down the corridor. "I'll write that potion out, and teach you how to make it." She nodded happily and placed the vial into her pocket.

"How do you feel?"

She beamed. "Wonderful. Like a new person."

"Good. I'll see you later, alright?" He was already halfway down the hall as he said this.

She waved and headed towards Charms to meet up with Lily.

Lily was studying her notes and checking them against her textbook. She barely looked up when Noelle plopped down in the seat next to her, and just grunted when Noelle said hi. Shaking her head slightly, Noelle pulled a quill and parchment out of her bag. James and Sirius sauntered in just as the warning bell rang.

Professor Flitwick hopped onto his stack of books and began his lesson. Even though she tried to be interested in his lecture about Conjuring charms, but she was practically exploding with happiness. Severus had done it. He had developed a treatment, just as he promised. Suddenly she realized that he was the only person who had ever kept a promise to her.

A poke in the back made her jump and she turned in annoyance. Sirius was balancing his chair on the back two legs, and he gave her a wink. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the front of the room. She completely gave up on any possibility of paying attention and drifted off, her chin in her hand, and her eyes glazed.

She didn't know that daydreams could be so real. She saw herself, slightly older, maybe nineteen or twenty, standing at a mirror wearing an elaborate white gown. Even she had to admit that she looked beautiful, but there was something in her navy eyes that she couldn't put her finger on. Her blonde hair was intricately piled on her head, her makeup and nails perfect. Her complexion was pale; her figure more slender than usual. The image in the mirror raised her glance and Noelle was able to look into her eyes easier. What she saw made her gasp. There was pain, sorrow, and worst of all, grief. But grief for who? It looked to be her wedding day, why should she be grieving? Noelle reached out to comfort her older self, but just as she made contact with her arm, she felt herself be jostled awake.

Scowling angrily, she glared at Sirius.

"What?" she asked crossly.

"Aren't we cranky? Class is over." He said, pointing at the clock.

"Oh. Sorry."

She stood quickly and stuffed her things back into her bag.

"Noelle, what's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine. I'm just tired." She offered him a weak smile and he relaxed.

"Want to go take a nap?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Do you ever give up?" she said, only half teasing.

He pretended to think very hard, "Nope. Never."

She sighed in exasperation. "Not today. I have too much work to catch up on."

He pouted and she groaned.

"No Sirius, not today. Stop it."

"Fine. I understand." He stuck his lower lip out slightly and she laughed in spite of herself.

"Maybe later, alright?" she said.

He nodded and looked a little happier. He leaned towards her and dropped a quick kiss on her forehead.

"I have to run. I've got to look for something before dinner."

She nodded and he left the room quickly. Lily was at the door, chatting with James when Sirius pushed by them both, nearly knocking James over. He threw an apology over his shoulder as he rushed down the hallway. James glared after him and held his hand out to Lily. Noelle's eyebrows shot up in amazement as they strolled down the corridor hand in hand. Glancing around, she realized she was the last student in the classroom. She shook herself slightly and headed for the door.

She wasn't hungry at all. Deciding to catch up on some homework, she made her way slowly to the library. She started for the table she always studied at, because it was secluded and she wasn't likely to be bothered. To her surprise, there was already a student there. He spun around fearfully as she approached. She smiled charmingly.

"I am sorry, I did not realize that someone was already here."

He smiled back, and something inside her twinged. There was no warmth in his smile whatsoever. His dull eyes were cold and hard, the smile not quite reaching them.

"It's okay. I was just leaving anyways." He said nervously, his eyes dropping to the floor.

Hastily he shoved his belongings into his bag and in the process, scattered papers and quills everywhere. Noelle stooped down to help him. As she reached for a bottle of ink that had rolled under the table, she spied a hard bound notebook that looked very familiar. She made to pick it up, but it was quickly scooped up by the mousy boy. Straightening up, she handed him the ink.

"I'm Noelle Lemieux." She said.

"I know who you are." He said, his voice cracking slightly.

She looked at him questioningly.

"Everyone knows who you are. I mean, you're going out with someone who is pretty popular." He stated, the jealously barely concealed.

She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "That means nothing to me. But I am afraid that I do not know your name."

He shifted his bag to his other shoulder and stuck out a plump hand. "Peter Pettigrew."

She took his hand and shook it firmly. "Very nice to meet you, Peter."

He bobbed his head. "Yes, you too. I must be going."

He lurched away from her, between the tall bookshelves. Narrowing her eyes, she watched him leave, wondering why on earth he had Sirius' notebook.

At dinner downstairs, Sirius was pretending to be sick while James and Lily tried so desperately to keep their eyes away from one another. After one too many snorts, James whipped around on the bench.

"Like we didn't have to watch you make an absolute ass out of yourself trying to get Noelle's attention." He whispered from between clenched teeth.

That shut Sirius up for a while and he returned to shoving food into his mouth and arguing with Remus over why they couldn't manage just one more prank on the Slytherins before the year was through.

"But why not, Moony? We've only got another week before we have to head home, and then we'd have to wait all summer. Besides, next year is our last year here, and we have to take N.E.W.T.s."

He paused to gulp some pumpkin juice. "And why are you so against pranking them all of a sudden?" he asked, his grey eyes narrowing.

Remus smiled wryly at him. "Don't you ever get sick of it, Padfoot? Don't you think it's about time we grew up and grew out of this?"

Sirius looked surprised. "No. Why? Should I?"

Remus laughed slightly. "I'll think about it, alright?"

Sirius didn't look happy, but at least he dropped the subject. Belching loudly, he stood up from the table, grinning wickedly at the disgusted look Lily gave him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"Since Noelle isn't here, I felt I had to stand in for her." Lily said testily.

Sirius stuck his tongue out at her and she chucked a crust of bread at him. He ducked it and sauntered out of the hall.

As he turned the corner to climb the stairs to Gryffindor tower, he bumped into a shorter boy.

"Sorry about that, mate." He said as he reached to help steady him.

The boy stared up at him incredulously. A bit unnerved, Sirius smiled back at him and hurried up the stairs, fully aware that he was being watched.

_Now was as good a time as any_, he thought, watching Sirius make his way up the stairs.

"Sirius!" he called out, hoping that his voice wouldn't crack. The tall dark boy turned on the stairs, a question in his eyes.

"Did you lose something?" Peter asked.

He could see the wheels in Sirius' head turning rapidly.

"No. Why?"

"No reason. Just thought that this belonged to you." He said, digging in his bag and removing a notebook.

Sirius' grey eyes widened and he practically flew back down the stairs.

"Where did you find that?" he whispered.

"Oh, in the Great Hall, about two weeks ago."

"You've had it all this time? Why didn't you return it to me?" he fired at the Hufflepuff standing before him.

"I have my reasons. If you want them, and your notebook back, you and James Potter need to meet me. Tonight. And we can discuss the terms of our agreement." He said smugly.

"What? What agreement? We, need to meet you? For what? It's my notebook, and I'd like it back. Now." He demanded.

"I already told you how you can get it back." Peter said, his voice wavering slightly. "Those are the conditions. And I really don't think you want to involve any professors in this matter, do you?"

Sirius blanched so fast that Peter thought he would pass out.

"I didn't think so. Tonight? Let's say the Charms classroom, around 11 pm." Peter smiled cunningly. "See you then."

He spun on his heel, leaving Sirius Black speechless and clutching the railing for support.

He didn't know how he made it back to the tower. His legs were shaking and he couldn't see straight. He mumbled the password at the Fat Lady and she swung forward to let him in. He passed through the entryway, holding the stone walls for support. The common room was full of students, talking and laughing. Noelle was curled on the couch in front of the fire, reading a thick book. She saw him stumble into the room and leapt to her feet.

"Sirius! What is wrong? Are you hurt?" she questioned rapidly, her eyes flying over his body, checking for signs of injury.

He couldn't speak, his lips seemed glued together, and his tongue felt triple its normal size. She quickly placed her hand on his forehead, checking for a fever, anything that would be an indication of what was wrong with him.

"James." He managed to say. "Get James."

She nodded and stood up straight. She flew up the stairs of the boys' dormitory and banged on the door marked 'Sixth Years'. After a moment of silence, she banged again.

"James! I need you, straight away! There's something wrong with Sirius!" she pleaded through the heavy oak door.

The door swung open and she braced herself on the jamb, panting slightly. James stood there, his hair even more unruly and his cheeks deeply flushed.

"What's going on? What's the matter with Sirius?" he asked.

"I do not know. He came into the room, he could barely walk. Something is wrong."

She reached for her hair and tugged at her braid. He pushed by her and hurried down the stairs. Noelle peered into the room. Lily was sitting on a bed in the corner, trying desperately to look inconspicuous.

"Lily! What are you doing?" she asked.

Lily flushed a deep burgundy. "We were talking! I swear, that's it!"

Noelle folded her arms over her breasts and tapped her foot.

"Okay. Okay! We were kissing. Are you happy now?" Lily confessed.

"Yes, but you are the one that should be happy, you were the one being kissed, chère." Noelle said teasingly. Lily tossed a pillow at her.

"Why are you always throwing pillows at me?" Noelle said grumpily as she ducked out of the way.

"Because if I threw the bed at you, I might get hurt." Lily said, trying to keep a straight face. It didn't work. Both girls erupted in giggles that quickly turned into full out howling with laughter. Once they had managed to catch their breath, Lily slid off of James' bed and followed Noelle out of the room.

"What's going on with Sirius? Is he sick?" Lily asked.

Noelle shrugged. "I do not know. He looked pretty sick. He was very pale and shaky. But he can be pretty dramatic."

The girls reached the bottom of the boys' staircase.

"Where on earth did they go?" Noelle questioned, her navy eyes searching the common room.

"Maybe James took Sirius to the hospital wing." Lily suggested. Noelle nodded slowly.

"Perhaps."


	17. Chapter 16 Ulitmatums

**Chapter 16**

James and Sirius were actually nowhere near the hospital wing. Within minutes, they, along with Remus, were frantically searching for a secure place to discuss what Sirius had been told. Still white as Nearly Headless Nick, he hadn't said much to either of his friends, just that they needed to talk. Fast.

In the trophy room, the three Gryffindors huddled into a corner, nervously looking over their shoulders for signs of anyone eavesdropping. Gulping for air, Sirius put his head in his hands and rocked back and forth.

"Dammit, Padfoot, what the hell is wrong with you?" James finally asked.

Picking up his head, Sirius looked Remus directly in the eye. Instinctively he knew that he would get a less dramatic reaction from Remus than he would from James.

"A random Hufflepuff found my Charms notebook." He said in a low voice.

James groaned and Remus looked confused.

"So? What's so important in your Charms notebook?" Remus asked.

"What's in his Charms notebook? Only every single note we've ever made about becoming Animagi. Or shall I say, every single _illegal_ note we've ever made about becoming _unregistered_ Animagi." James seethed.

Remus felt his stomach contract as if he had been sucker punched. Sirius hung his head even lower. James paced angrily around the room, every so often running his hands through his unruly black hair.

"Well, did you get it back?" Remus managed to ask.

Sirius shook his head slowly.

"He wants James and me to meet him, in the Charms classroom tonight at eleven. He said it was to 'discuss the terms of our agreement'. I don't know what the hell he's talking about."

James rolled his eyes.

"Padfoot, are you really that thick? Obviously, he wants something from us. Who is it?"

Sirius shrugged.

"I don't know. I think his first name is Peter, or Paul...I'm not sure." He looked down and checked his watch. "We have an hour."

James took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Do you think we can buy him off?"

"With what? Galleons? No, if he wants something from us, I guarantee it's got nothing to do with money." Remus stated.

Sirius stood on shaky legs. His chest contracted painfully at the thought that he had betrayed his friends, albeit inadvertently. He slowly made his way over to the window and gazed out over the grounds. Just last week, he and James had galloped across the lawns, eager to meet Remus in the Shrieking Shack for a night of prowling the countryside. Had it only been last week? So much had changed. It was only last year that they had figured out how to become Animagi. A voice broke through his mind.

"So what do we do?" Remus asked.

Sirius straightened up to his full height, which was considerably taller than both Remus and James.

"I was the one who lost the notebook. I'll take care of this." He said, even though he had no idea how he was going to do so.

James was already shaking his head.

"No way, mate. Like it or not, we're all in this together. If you're going down, we're coming right behind you." James said with a slight smile on his face.

He stuck his right hand out.

"Deal?"

Remus and Sirius didn't hesitate for a second. They instantly covered James' hand with their own.

"Deal."

Noelle lay sprawled on her bed, staring lazily up at the vaulted ceiling of her dormitory. She closed her eyes and heaved a small sigh. That daydream she had had in Charms had really gotten to her. She was anxious to know what it was all about. She doubted that it was a real vision per se. As far as she knew, there had never been any Seers on the Lemieux side of her family, or the St. Martins, which was her mother's family. True Seers were so rare that if one of her ancestors or relatives had been one, she was sure that she would have known about it. _Stop thinking of it, Noelle_, she told herself. Prying her eyes open, she gazed around her room. Lily was sitting at the dressing table, trying to weave her uncooperative hair into a braid to keep it away from her face while she studied her Charms. Noelle giggled at the redhead's frustration. Pointing her wand at Lily's head, she murmured under her breath.

"_Plaitori Intricato_."

Lily's copper strands instantly wove themselves into a very secure braid, taking Lily by surprise. She made a small 'oh!' of shock as the ends of her hair fastened together and pinned the whole braid to her head. She whipped her head around, marveling at how not a single piece of hair moved from its braided rope. Noelle hid a smile with her hand as Lily pretended to be angry with her.

"A little _warning_ next time, perhaps? I swear, you're becoming more and more like Sirius everyday!" she huffed.

A loud burst of laughter escaped from Noelle's mouth and through her fingers as she tried to keep it all in.

"Moi? Becoming like Sirius? Lily, you have to be kidding me. Sirius would have turned your hair blue, or made it all fall out, or something terrible like that. I merely was trying to assist you." Noelle said, feigning being hurt.

Lily stuck her tongue out at her friend.

"Nice try, but you're losing your touch. There's absolutely no way that what I said made you feel bad."

Once again, Noelle couldn't keep her laughter in.

"You're right; I've used all my acting skills on he-who-I-must-baby-sit. The more I pretend that he is making me upset, or sad, or angry, the less he does it. I see my reverse psychology doesn't work on you. Pity." Noelle said, shaking her head with false remorse.

Lily snickered. "Not hardly." She paused and checked the mirror.

"What was that spell you just used?"

Noelle replied, "_Plaitori Intricato_. Just make sure you say it right, or your wand will be spewing your last spells into your hair, and it takes a very strong shampoo to get rid of some of the spells they make us do."

The two girls stared at each other for a moment, trying hard not to explode in laughter. It was useless. The mirth bubbled over, and before they knew it, people were yelling up and down the staircase for the both of them to shut up.

Steeling himself, Sirius rapped loudly on the heavy door of the Charms classroom.

"Let me do all the talking." He said from between his teeth.

"Oh, that's a bloody brilliant idea." James said sarcastically.

Sirius shot him a withering look and pushed open the door. They had agreed that Remus should stay out of this as much as he could. After all, he was a prefect, and he really couldn't afford to get in any trouble, especially not trouble of this magnitude.

Seated behind Flitwick's desk was Peter Pettigrew. He looked up as the two well-liked Gryffindors approached him. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sirius rapidly cut him off.

"Well, we're here. What do you want?" Sirius asked curtly.

"I thought it would be obvious. I want you to show me how you managed it." Peter said simply.

"You mean all you want is us to help you become an Animagus? That's it?" James asked swiftly.

Peter nodded.

"What's the catch?" Sirius asked suspiciously. "Cause there's got to be a catch."

Peter shook his head.

"There's no catch. Just show me how to do it, and that's it. I'll give you your notebook back, and there's nothing lost on either side."

Sirius studied the mousy boy for a moment and then swung his gaze to James.

"Give us a minute."

Peter nodded and walked slightly away from them as they whispered furiously in the corner.

"I don't know Sirius. This seems far too easy."

"James! All we have to do is show him how to become an Animagus! Nothing could be easier! Then once he's got it, we take the notebook, and we walk away! Simple as that!"

James sighed. "Fine. If you think it's the right thing to do."

Sirius nodded his head vehemently.

"Alright."

Sirius called Peter over to them and he scurried to their sides quickly.

"You've got yourself a deal, mate." Sirius said, sticking his right hand out and offering the nervous Hufflepuff a winning smile. Peter eagerly grabbed for his hand and shook it vigorously. Then he took James' even though he hadn't offered it. James shook it quickly and then stuffed his hand deep into the pocket of his robes.

The three boys headed towards the door when Sirius stopped in his tracks.

"You know something? I don't even think we know your name."

Peter's dull brown eyes glazed over slightly.

"It's Peter. Peter Pettigrew."

"Sirius William Black, and this is James Patrick Potter."

James kept his hands in his robes while Sirius and Peter shook again. He glanced at the clock on the wall. It read nearly midnight.

"Padfoot. Time to go." He motioned with his chin at the wall clock.

"Good call. Peter, don't get caught going back to your room. We'll talk to you tomorrow at dinner, alright?" He slapped the Hufflepuff on the back as if they were old friends. Peter nodded gratefully and headed down the hall.

Sirius whistled softly while they climbed the stairs to the tower.

"Wow, that wasn't so bad. All we have to do is teach him some simple spells, and we're home free." He turned to James with an expectant look on his face. James snorted.

"Simple spells? Have you already forgotten how much work it was to learn those spells? It took us nearly a year to get them right, and I'm sorry to say, but I get the feeling that old Peter isn't exactly the quickest broom in the shed!"

"James, you're overreacting! Everything will be fine, I promise! What's the worst that could happen?" Sirius said lightly.

"We could both be arrested and expelled. Oh, and don't forget thrown in Azkaban for being unregistered Animagi." James said darkly.

Sirius laughed. "Like that would ever happen." He punched James lightly on the shoulder. "You worry too much, Prongs."

The next day was the hottest yet. Noelle had worn just a short-sleeve white shirt with her tie under her robes and she was still sweltering. Lily's hair hadn't been taken out of its braid since the night before.

"Trust me, if I take it down, it'll be so frizzy that it'll take up the whole tower." She had muttered.

Noelle hadn't even bothered to dry her long hair. While it was still soaking wet, she had separated it into two braids and wound them around her head, in order to keep the heavy strands off of her neck. She found herself actually looking forwards to Potions, just because the dungeons were the coolest spot in the castle. She sank heavily into her seat and pulled her robes off of her shoulders. Balling them up, she shoved them into her bag. Severus motioned across the room at her and she hurried to his side before class started.

"Here's the recipe for your potion. If you need help, I'll show you exactly how to make it. It's not very complicated, but it takes a month to mature. You should always have some on hand." He instructed.

She smiled and covered his hand.

"Thank you, Severus." She dropped her head and studied the list of ingredients. Her head came up rapidly.

"Wormwood root? There's quite a bit of that in here, non?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes. Why?"

She swallowed thickly. "Well, wormwood root is used in making absinthe. You know, it's a green liquor that if you drink too much, it can make you hallucinate."

His dark eyebrows shot up. "No, I never heard of that before."

She smiled weakly. "Oui, it is true. It explains a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I just had a very strange day dream right after I took the potion. Now I know why."

"Well, it worked didn't it?"

She nodded. "Oui, it worked very well."

"So, you might have to put up with them until your system gets used to it."

Noelle sighed and tugged at a loose strand of hair.

"If it means that I can lead a normal life, I can deal with them."

Severus smiled.

ProfessorValenti entered the classroom at that moment and shot Noelle a warning look. She smiled sheepishly and scurried back to her seat beside Lily.

At dinner that night, Noelle ambled towards the Gryffindor table with her head down. She was hot and she was tired. Neither condition put her into a good mood. She picked her head up as she approached the bench where James, Lily and Sirius were already seated. Surprisingly, her usual seat next to Sirius was already occupied. Her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline when she realized who it was.

"I think I'm in your seat again, aren't I?" Peter said.

"Oui, but it is alright. I can sit next to Remus." She said, slightly put out.

She climbed over the bench and reached for the jug of pumpkin juice. Leaning towards him slightly, she whispered into his ear.

"Remus, why is he sitting here?"

Remus shrugged, but she knew that he knew why. He sighed and spoke two words.

"He knows."

"He knows? How? You told him?" she asked, stunned.

Remus nervously glanced down the table.

"Sirius and James, you know they're Animagus." She nodded. "Well, all of their notes are in a notebook."

"Sirius' Charms notebook." She finished. He nodded. "So that is why he was so desperate to find it."

"Peter found it, and all he wants is for them to teach him how they did it."

Noelle looked skeptical.

"That cannot be all he wants."

"That was the deal. They teach him, they get the notebook back, no questions asked."

Down the table, Sirius was watching them out of the corner of his eye. He could tell that Remus had told Noelle what was going on, and from the anxious look on her face, she didn't like it. He smiled at her reassuringly. She tried to smile back, but found it difficult to do so.

"Sirius?"

He turned his head towards her, a questioning look in his grey eyes.

"Vous sont sûr qu'est tout il veut? »

He tilted his head and gazed directly into her face.

"Oui, pourquoi?"

With a sick feeling in her stomach, she shook her head and smiled. He smiled boyishly back at her and returned to the conversation that he had been having with Peter. She glanced at James, who while talking to Lily, had been watching Sirius and Peter with wrinkles in his forehead.

"James does not agree at all, does he?" she asked Remus.

Remus chewed a piece of roast beef thoughtfully before he answered.

"No. I don't think James trusts Peter at all."

"And you? What do you think of all this?"

"I wasn't the one who illegally became an Animagi."

"But if you were not a werewolf, they would not have become Animagus." She said sensibly.

"Maybe. I bet we would have anyway though. Sirius has a certain lack of respect for the rules, and James doesn't hold much to them either. I've always been a by the book kind of person. But they probably would have talked me into it." Remus said, with a slight smile. He placed his hand over hers. "They're my friends, Noelle. The best friends anyone could ever hope for, especially someone in my shoes. I trust them to make the right decisions."

She squeezed his hand. "I know you do, and I do as well. Sometimes, I just wish that Sirius would act a little more his age. It is like he does not want to be an adult."

"He had a pretty rotten childhood. His parents don't think too much of him, and his brother is a slimy git."

Noelle's navy eyes scanned the Great Hall.

"Which one is his brother? I've never even met him. Sirius never talks about him, and James has only mentioned him in passing."

Remus' head turned like a hawk surveying the horizon. He discreetly pointed.

"There. Sitting between that blonde girl and the boy with red hair."

Noelle spotted him easily. She couldn't believe that she had never noticed him before. Regulus Black was the spitting image of his older brother, right down to the dimpled cheek and the cleft in his chin. But there was something different about the cold, hard way his grey eyes were empty of emotion. It was as if he had no soul, nothing good in his life. He looked so bitter. Sirius was so gregarious and warm that it made the physical resemblances between the brothers less obvious. After studying Regulus for a few moments, she saw that just by the look in his eyes, he looked nothing like his brother. Almost as if he had sensed her staring, he locked his harsh eyes right to hers. She gasped and her hand went to her throat. Quickly she looked away. Remus nudged her gently.

"See why Sirius has nothing to do with him? It's like he's not even human."

Noelle nodded, still trying to calm her nerves. She pushed her plate away, her appetite completely gone. Sirius noticed her do this and smiled at her.

"Going upstairs?" he asked.

"Oui. Care to join me?" she said, hoping her voice wasn't shaking as much as her knees were.

"You better believe I do."

She smiled, her breathing returning to normal.

Sirius dropped his napkin on his plate and spun around, swinging his long legs over the bench.

"Peter, I must escort this beautiful young lady up to our dormitory. Care to continue our discussion tomorrow?"

Peter nodded. He had hardly said a word throughout the entire meal. He had been so nervous. He was sitting next to Sirius Black, and across from James Potter. Even though Potter hadn't said very much to him, Sirius had made him feel welcome. He couldn't believe his good luck.

Sirius clapped him on the back.

"Good man, Peter." He crooked his arm so Noelle could take it, and she blushed slightly. "Milady?" he said pompously.

She giggled and took his arm. He steered her out of the hall, while Peter watched, the jealously bubbling in his gut.

At the door of the Great Hall, Sirius gallantly pushed it open, and then stood aside to let Noelle through. Abruptly, she stopped, causing Sirius to run into her. Directly in front of her, leaning casually against the stone wall, was Regulus Black.

He pushed his body away from the wall with his shoulder, smirking arrogantly.

"Well, well, well. It's my least favorite relative, and his, shall we say, infamous companion. Nice to see you both." He sneered.

"Shove it Regulus." Sirius said from between his teeth.

"Older brother, hasn't Mother taught you better than that? You should watch your language around ladies." He looked around. "Oh, never mind. I don't see any ladies here."

Noelle's fists clenched tightly and next to her, she could feel the heat radiating from Sirius' body.

"Shut your mouth before I shut it for you." Sirius said sharply.

Regulus looked up and down Noelle's slim figure, lingering around her chest.

"Well, at least I can see that my brother has taste, even if you are a Gryffindor, and you are French." He said with false sincerity. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. Shame on you, Sirius." He extended his right hand and Noelle looked at it as if it were diseased.

"Regulus Black."

She kept her left hand on Sirius' arm and didn't give his brother her right.

"Noelle Lemieux." She said calmly.

"You are Francois Lemieux's daughter, right? I remember seeing your picture in the Daily Prophet a time or two. Weren't you engaged to a Roussard?"

Noelle's face paled.

"Non. I was never engaged."

"Must have read it wrong. Well, I'll let you two be on your way. I'm sure you're eager to, how can I put this delicately, get some rest." He said, a licentious smile on his handsome face. "Good night, dear brother." With that, leaving a trembling Noelle and a fuming Sirius behind him, he sauntered off toward the Slytherin common room.


	18. Chapter 17 No Tears Tonight

By the time they had reached Gryffindor tower, Noelle was still quivering. The sheer force of Sirius' anger was still apparent, and it was starting to scare her. At the portrait of the Fat Lady, he could barely speak he was so furious.

"Flibbertigibbet." He spat.

Noelle couldn't help but giggle a little. To hear that word spoken in such a livid voice was amusing. The look he shot her was less so. She quickly smothered her laughter and followed him into the common room. She sat on the couch shakily and chose her words carefully.

"So that was your brother." She said, trying to keep her tone light, in spite of the appalling way she had just been spoken to.

"He is no brother of mine. Not anymore." Sirius seethed, his fists still clenched.

She reached for his hand, desperately needing his reassuring touch. He swung his grey eyes towards her and she could see the tears of fury building under his lids.

"Noelle, I'm so sorry for the way he just treated you. I should have decked him."

Clutching his fingers tightly, she shook her head.

"That would have just shown that you are no better than him. And you are chérie. You are ten times the man he is." She said, her voice heavy with emotion.

Sirius hunched down in front of her and took both of her hands in his.

"You mean that?" he asked huskily.

She was slightly taken aback by the seriousness in his eyes and voice.

"Oui, of course I mean it." She said softly.

He slid his hand behind her head and carefully placed his lips on hers. When their lips made contact, she shuddered with pleasure. Her arms wound around his neck and she pulled him closer. Their kisses grew more intense and she moaned deep in her throat. Her fingers entwined into his dark silky hair and tugged at the strands gently. His tongue easily slipped into her mouth and she nipped it softly with her teeth. He groaned and pulled away from her. She looked at him through her eyelashes and bit her bottom lip.

"I am sorry, I was a little forward." She muttered.

"You were? Not at all. I thought I was being too pushy."

She smiled seductively at him and grabbed the front of his shirt. Pulling him so he was about an inch away from her face, she teased his face with kisses. He was panting by the time she pushed him away.

"You were saying?" she said playfully, reaching up to her hair to unfasten her braids. Her waist length blonde hair tumbled down around her face and shoulders, waving invitingly around her face. Sirius' mouth dropped open sharply. When he had recovered, he managed to speak.

"I have entirely forgotten everything that I was saying."

"Good."

Noelle tossed her long hair over her shoulder and stood up, stretching like a cat.

"Where are you going?" Sirius asked.

"No, it should be, 'Where are we going?'" she said, gazing down at him.

He swallowed nervously.

"We? You and me?" he bumbled.

"No, you and Peeves." She said in exasperation. "Of course you and me."

"What are you saying Noelle?" he asked softly.

She reached out a hand and he took it.

"I am saying that I want to be alone with you. Is that alright?" she said, tilting her head.

Sirius jumped to his feet.

"What do you think?" he replied, a wicked gleam in his eyes.

He tugged at her hand and pulled her out of the room.

He hurried up a few staircases, and then pulled her down a corridor. Pushing her up against the wall, he crushed his lips down on hers. Eagerly she responded, holding her body to his firmly. After a minute or two of this, he stepped away and resumed down the hall, still grasping her hand tightly. He climbed another steep staircase and Noelle knew exactly where he was taking her. He pushed the door open and smiled at her so sweetly that she felt as if she were falling. She stepped through the doorway and onto the observation balcony of the Astronomy tower.

The early summer sky was exploding with stars. She felt herself shiver slightly and then felt strong arms wrap around her. She kissed his hand and snuggled back against his chest. He kissed her ear and her head fell back.

"Noelle, do you have any idea how much I love you?" he whispered.

Slowly, she turned in his arms until she was facing him. Tilting her head to meet his lips, she kissed him enticingly.

"I have a small idea. You might want to show me though. I have always liked show better than tell." She said mischievously.

Lifting her easily in his arms, he laid her down on the cushions of the benches that surrounded the wall of the balcony. She reached her arms up and he came into them. Gathering her long hair, he held it away from her face while he ran his lips down her neck. It was intoxicating and practically unbearable. She was completely immobile as he carefully unbuttoned the collar of her blouse so he could reach her collarbone. Her breath quickened as he kissed along the sensitive skin and she clutched his hands even tighter. His head came up slightly with a question in his eyes. She nodded and his hands went back to the buttons of her shirt. As he unfastened them, the warm summer air slid over her skin like silk. She lifted herself a little just so he could remove her shirt entirely. The desire in his face was even more apparent when she lay back down.

"Noelle, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on. I've never felt this way about anyone, and no one has ever made me feel the way you do." He said, barely above a whisper. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Sirius. More than I have ever told you or showed you. I am so sorry for the pain that I have caused you." She said, her voice becoming strained as she tried not to cry.

"Shh, no tears tonight." He said, placing his finger over her lips.

She couldn't resist. With her tongue, she pulled his finger into her mouth and sucked on it gently. His eyes rolled back in his head, overwhelmed by the effect it had on him. She reached down and grabbed the hem of his shirt. One swift move was all it took, and his bare chest was exposed. Releasing his finger from her mouth, she smoothed her hands over his skin, feeling the sprinkle of dark hair between her fingers. He unlatched the clasp on her bra and pulled it away from her chest. Instantly, his lips were on her breast and she felt her nipples harden. As he licked her soft skin, she was fumbling at his waist for his belt. Ripping it away from his body, she tore at the buttons holding his pants up. Surprised, Sirius looked up into her navy eyes.

"What? I cannot wait much longer. We've waited long enough." She said, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glowing.

"Oh, I'm not complaining. I was wondering what took you so long."

With that he grabbed the waistband of her skirt and yanked it off her body, amazed to see that she wore no underwear. She wiggled her eyebrows at him and reached into his boxers. Taking him into her hands, she stroked his erection firmly. He moaned and braced himself on the railing.

"Oh my Lord, you have no idea what you're doing to me." He muttered.

She laughed softly. "No, I know exactly what I am doing to you."

"Let me return the favor then." He said, running his tongue over her lips.

He began to stroke her gently, then increasingly harder as she couldn't keep herself still. Her chest was heaving and sweat was trickling down between her breasts.

"Please, don't stop." She begged.

"I wasn't planning on it." He whispered in her ear.

Carefully, he positioned himself between her legs. He entered her slowly at first, almost losing control at the sensation. She elevated her hips and grabbed his rear firmly, pulling him deep into her. She let out an almost animal groan when he was completely inside of her. They lay still for a moment, neither one moving, just getting used to the way their bodies fit together.

"It is as if you were made for me." She whispered sentimentally.

He gazed deep into her blue eyes and tilted her chin up.

"Noelle, I was made for you."

With that he began to slowly move himself back and forth. From far away, she felt rhythmic waves washing over her entire body. Concentrating completely on making him feel as amazing as he was making her feel, she contracted her muscles softly. If he had been any less aroused, he wouldn't have felt her subtlety pulsating against him. His breath caught in his throat as she couldn't keep the small sounds of pleasure from escaping her mouth. They became louder and more frequent as he continued, which made him unable to focus on anything but the woman in his arms. Far too soon, he couldn't even control himself. With a final thrust, he succumbed to the most intense feeling he had ever experienced.

* * *

Noelle lay sleepily in Sirius' arms, gazing up at the night sky. It was exploding with stars, and she felt as if they were falling all around her. He reached for his robes and draped them over their bodies, pausing to kiss her gently. She purred and smiled up at him. She didn't even want to speak, somehow knowing that words were too clumsy for this moment. Instead, she rested her head on his chest and listened to his slow, even breathing. Never in her life had she felt so perfect, so complete. She knew then that she could trust Sirius, and that he would never hurt her, at least not intentionally. She had been born to love him, and he to love her. Content with that notion, she buried her face in his shoulder and dozed off.

* * *

Lily was curled up on the sofa, reading a textbook that was so ancient, it coughed dust in her face every few pages. After the third time this had happened, she slammed the book shut with annoyance.

"Easy, Lil, it's just a book. It can't even fight back." James said wryly.

She wrinkled her nose at him and placed the book on the end table. He plopped down at the other end of the couch and reached for one of her feet. She sighed with pleasure as he rubbed it gently.

"James, I swear, you're a life saver. How did you know my feet were killing me?" she asked.

"Intuition. Besides, you were complaining about it all the way back from dinner."

Lily laughed and ran a hand through her red hair.

"Speaking of dinner, have you seen Noelle and Sirius? They disappeared pretty fast." She questioned.

"Haven't seen hide or hair of them. Probably wanted to be alone for awhile. They've been acting a little strange lately, haven't they?"

"Strange? When has Noelle or Sirius ever acted in a way which would be considered normal? Ever?"

James snorted.

"So true."

An awkward silence fell between the two. It was odd, really. Lily couldn't even pinpoint when she had stopped seeing James as an arrogant prat, but somewhere along the way, she had truly begun to enjoy his company. She liked the way that he had a good head on his shoulders, and the way that he would do anything for either of his best friends. Even though some of the stuff that Sirius pulled made her want to shove him through a wall, James always knew how to handle his best friend. She found that she couldn't get enough of the times when she caught James staring at her, and the embarrassed look he had when she caught him.

_Ooh, damn! This time he had caught her!_ She ducked her head and pretended to be very interested in the hem of her blouse. _Maybe he wouldn't say anything_.

"Lily?"

_Damn!_

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright? You had a really weird look on your face just then."

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking."

"About what?"

"How this year turned out. It started pretty badly, you know, Noelle getting kicked out of her family, and all those rumors being spread about her, and she just pushed through it. That girl is made of cast iron, I swear. I don't know how she handles it all, especially when she's so..." Lily cut off abruptly.

"So what?"

"So far from home." Lily finished, relieved that she had managed to cover her slip so quickly. "Even after all that, we've managed to have a good year."

James reached for her other foot.

"It hasn't been boring, that's for sure. I'm just glad it's almost over. Can you believe we're going into our last year here?"

Lily shook her head.

"Absolutely not. Do you remember our first day here?"

James laughed softly.

"Sure do. I was so eager to be Sorted, I knocked the stool over."

"I remember that!"

"And you were so nervous; your bottom lip was shaking like a leaf."

"James! I had no idea what to expect! At least all your life, you knew you were a wizard, and no one in your family treats you like a circus freak." Her voice had a slight catch to it.

James let go of her foot, and took her hand.

"Lily, if that's what you are, then I want to join your circus. You are the sweetest, most beautiful and talented person I know. Who cares what Petunia thinks, she's a mutant."

Lily's emerald eyes misted over and she smiled at the messy haired boy in front of her. James seemed to realize what he had just said, and felt his cheeks growing crimson.

"Did you really mean that?" Lily managed to ask.

The hopeful look in her eyes completely shattered any notion that he had of covering what he had said. Instead of answering her, he leaned towards her and kissed her gently.

* * *

Sirius cracked open an eyelid. Noelle was tucked comfortably by his side, snoring softly. On the horizon, the sun was just beginning to break through the trees. Trying to dislodge his arm without disturbing Noelle proved fruitless. She scowled in her sleep, and then squinted at him. She yawned hugely and tugged his robes over her bare chest.

"Quelle heure est-il?" she asked sleepily.

"It's about 6. I just wanted to watch the sunrise."

She raised an eyebrow and yawned again.

"That is very poetic of you. And quite romantic, n'est-ce pas?" she said teasingly, leaning over to kiss him.

"I can be romantic." He protested.

"Oui, I know that. You just showed me romantic last night, chérie."

"You ain't seen nothing yet." He said with a wink.

She gave him a playful shove.

"Should we be heading back to the tower? I really cannot afford to get in any more trouble."

Sirius bristled at being reminded of her punishment, and what it had been for.

"Yeah, I guess we should." He said shortly.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly, touching his bare shoulder.

He relaxed when their skin met.

"Yeah, I'm okay. You're right, we should go."

Slowly, they began to pull their clothing back on. He picked up her blouse and held the arms for her. She slipped it over her shoulders and buttoned it securely. Draping her robes over her arm, she slid her feet into her shoes. When she turned to face him, he saw shadows in her already dark eyes.

"Noelle? You look so sad. What's wrong?" he asked

She shook her head slowly.

"I'm not sure. I just feel very strange all of a sudden."

Before she could stop them, tears began to pool under her eyelids.

"This is not going to change anything between us, is it?" she asked, praying her fears were unfounded.

He quickly came to her and pulled her into her arms.

"I just do not want to lose you." She managed to say before the tears broke loose.

"Oh, baby, that will never happen. Never. I will never leave you. I already told you, there is nothing you could ever do to make me love you less."

She buried her face in the front of his robes while he stroked her back.

_Oh, Sirius, what have I done? How could I have betrayed you like that?_ She thought to herself. _He must never know, he would hate me forever_.

He tilted her face up to his and kissed her tears off of her cheeks.

"I love you, Noelle."

* * *

Before anyone even realized it, the year had ended and the carriages were pulling up in front of the castle. Sirius was lugging both his trunk and Noelle's and despite a Weightless charm, her trunk still weighed a ton.

"What do you expect? It holds everything I own!" she said defensively when he complained about the weight.

The five Gryffindors crammed into one carriage for the ride into Hogsmeade. The Hogwarts Express was waiting at the platform, belching black smoke into the air. Climbing aboard, Lily checked all the compartments until she found an empty one. Calling to her friends, they quickly claimed it for their own.

"So Lily, when do you think you can make it to Manchester?" James asked.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"I'm hoping within a week or two. If I have to stay at my house with my sister, I'll go mad."

"Well, we'll be there all summer. You can come whenever you'd like. Padfoot, what is it?" James said, noticing the dark look in his friend's eyes.

"I have to return to my house for the third week in July. I don't know how long I have to stay, but if it's a long time, I'll just leave."

Noelle placed a hand over his.

"Sirius, are you sure that you should go there? Look what happened at Christmas."

"Noelle, if I don't go home, my father will send someone to James' to physically bring me to my house. It's better that I just go."

"Would you like me to come with you?"

"Are you crazy? My parents are bloody mental. No, I think that you should just stay at James'."

Noelle sat back, slightly put out.

There was a knock at the compartment door and Remus slid it open.

"Oh, hi Peter." He said.

Peter sidled his way into the compartment and sat down next to Lily, who inadvertently pulled away slightly. Noelle noticed this and stood, stretching her arms over her head.

"Care for a walk, Lily?" she asked, eager to be anywhere but in the vicinity of Peter. Lily nodded quickly and jumped to her feet.

"How are you guys?" Peter asked after the girls had left.

"Peachy. What are you plans for the summer?" Sirius asked, forcing his own plans out of his mind.

"Probably the same thing I do every summer. Help out in my dad's store. He has an apothecary in Gloucestershire."

"If you can get away, you should come to James' for a spell. We're all going." Sirius said.

When James didn't second the invitation, Sirius kicked him sharply in the shin.

"Ow! Oh, yeah. Peter, you're welcome to come." James said grudgingly.

"Well, if I can get away, maybe I will. It sounds like fun."

After that, there was uncomfortable silence. Peter cleared his throat.

"Well, I should be getting back to my compartment." He said, shifting his eyes back and forth between James and Sirius.

None of the Gryffindors said anything to stop him.

"Have a good summer." He muttered as he slipped out of the compartment.

"Bye Peter!" Sirius called. After he was sure the Hufflepuff was out of hearing range, he glared at James and Remus.

"Come on guys. He's not that bad. And we have to keep him on our side, at least until we've managed to teach him the charms."

James let out a decisive laugh.

"This might very well be well after we graduate, at the rate he's learning things. I honestly thought he was going to blow up the dungeon the other night."

"It wasn't that bad, James." Sirius said.

"No, you're right. It was worse. Padfoot, he's a mess. And he's going to get us in trouble, even more trouble than we usually get into."

"Does he know the real reason that the two of you became Animagi?" Remus interrupted.

James shook his head, but Sirius quickly turned towards the window.

"You told him, didn't you? Didn't you?" James demanded.

Sirius swung his eyes guiltily towards his friends.

"I didn't mean to. It just came out."

"Bloody hell Sirius! What were you thinking?" Remus exploded.

"Obviously, he wasn't, Moony. But what else is new?" James said.

Sirius' eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That's enough James. You're not always perfect you know." He hissed.

"Stop it, all of you!" Noelle cried from the doorway, with Lily right at her heels.

"Stay out of this, Noelle. It's none of your business." James seethed.

"Non, I will not. I know exactly what you're talking about. Remus is a werewolf, James and Sirius, you are Animagus, and you have to teach that little worm how to become one as well." She took a breath; her lungs were starting to seize up. "Just stop fighting and handle it together." She managed to say.

Instantly, Sirius was at her side, leaving James speechless behind him.

"What's wrong? Are you not well?" he asked.

She nodded.

"I am fine. I just hate it when you all fight." She lied.

"We're not fighting. We're just…" he looked towards Remus.

"We're discussing. It's not a big deal."

James still had a rather baffled expression on his face.

"But, how did she know? Did you tell her too?" he asked Sirius with a dumbfounded expression.

"No, she figured it out. And the rest, I told her." Remus said quietly.

James closed his mouth and sat down.

"So, let's get this straight. Noelle, you know everything, and obviously, so does Lily."

Both girls nodded.

"You can't tell anyone. You know that, right?" he asked.

"Of course we do James. We're not stupid." Lily replied with a smirk.

James ran his hands through his hair and sighed.

"Alright. Nothing that can be done now."

The girls took the same seats they had been occupying, and Remus and Sirius followed suit. The train rolled on towards London, with James still making little noises of disbelief every so often.

Noelle awoke to the sounds of screeching brakes. Her friends were already on their feet, gathering their belongings together. She smiled sleepily at Sirius as he handed her their knapsacks while he dragged the trunks.

On the platform, Noelle embraced Lily tightly.

"I am going to miss you so much!" she said, trying desperately not to cry.

"I'll be there as soon as I can get away. I'll be damned if I spend my whole summer at home!" Lily said with a smile.

The girls hugged once more, and then Lily hurried off to her mother's side.

"Is that Petunia?" James said incredulously, coming up behind Noelle.

Noelle squinted.

"Oui, that is she." She arched her eyebrow. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to Lily?"

James turned beet red, then rapidly caught up with Lily.

"Gonna miss you, Evans." He said, hoping his voice didn't crack.

She smiled crookedly.

"Oh, are we back to calling me Evans now?" she said teasingly.

James smiled and swiped at his hair, grinning at her boyishly. Instead of answering her, he placed one hand at her waist, and one on her shoulder. He kissed her sweetly on the lips, then once on each cheek.

"Come to Manchester soon." He whispered into her ear, and then backed away towards the others.

"Did James really just kiss Lily? In public? In _Muggle_ public?" Sirius asked with an astonished look on his face.

"Sure did. Why don't you follow his example?" Noelle said flirtatiously.

Bending her back, he swept her up in a deep kiss. She was laughing so hard, she nearly bit his lip. He pulled her back into a standing position and smiled at her charmingly.

"Love you." He said softly.

"Oui, I love you too."

"This is our summer, Noelle. It'll be much better than last year, I promise."

Noelle gazed into his beautiful grey eyes and prayed that he was right.

"It better be."


End file.
